Tima's Season 3
by Tima
Summary: SEASON FINALE! Goliath and Elisa spend their honeymoon in a familar setting to Goliath, Fox and David Xanatos discuss their new addition, and a sex scene included...pls RR!
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please_**

**Author's Note: **I continue to thank my wonderful fans for reading, and emailing me. Any new comments are greatly appreciated!

**_SIDE NOTE: how about that GARGOYLES comic, eh? WOW! When's the next one out! I'm dying to read it...ok...onto the story!_**

**_Season 3 "Anguish" Part 1_**

_She was in a dark room. Thick fog covered her sight. She stumbled in the dark for what felt like days, until finally the fog cleared just enough for her to see what was in front of her; her beloved._

_"Are you alright? God, I thought I'd lost you..."_

_His blank eyes remained staring straight ahead, right through her. She took another step closer to him._

_"What's wrong with you?" She demanded, nearly angrily. Still, he stared ahead numbly. She approached him ever closer._

_"Goliath!" She took whatever she could manage of his very large biceps in her hands and shook violently. Without warning, the gargoyle before her disappeared, leaving her hands empty. She looked desperately into the fog, which seemed now to be reappearing even thicker than before._

_"Goliath! Where are you!" She bellowed into the fog. No answer came, save for the fog seeming to clear slightly again. This time, she was presented with Goliath's still body, a ways away from her. It was bruised and battered, with numerous lacerations on his once-perfect lavender skin. She ran towards the body, and kneeled beside it sadly. She lifted his head, and looked at the lips that she had kissed before, and the eyes that beheld her countless times. No life was behind these features, and she felt that no life would ever grace them again. She instantly began to sob, with her tears drenching his skin as she cradled his head in her arms. Just as suddenly as she had been shown this terrible vision, Goliath's body disappeared, and the fog set in at its heaviest. There was an accompanying bang, and a blinding light, causing her to shield her eyes with her slender and tired arms._

_"No!" She cried out. "WHY? Why did you take him from me!" She got to her feet and began walking aimlessly, trying to find her way out of this horrible place._

_The fog began to lift again, only this time, she was thrown back into the real world. _

****

**_November 1, 1997, 2:57am_**

The mists in her head cleared, and she awoke groggily in a strange bed. She went to rub the sleep out of her eyes, when she realised there were bandages around her wrists. What are these from, she wondered. The events of the night before were still a blur, but came into focus when she heard a voice at her bedside.

"Oh, honey, thank goodness you're alright!" Diane Maza cried happily.

Elisa blinked. "Alright? Am I?" She asked absently, staring off towards the window of the room. Through the window, she could see that it was still dark outside. Where were the gargoyles? It definitely was one of Xanatos' medical ward rooms--it looked just as sterile to her as the last room she was forced to use in his med ward.

Diane leaned closer towards her daughter. "Of course. You have those nasty gashes on your wrists, but the rest of you is fine. Your father and I are so thankful. The others told us about the explosion. It must have been horrifying..."

Elisa's mind was suddenly thrown into the memory of what happened just hours earlier.

Those red eyes staring at her with contempt and disdain, her son's cries as he was thrown to the foot of her bed, Goliath tackling Thailog, the two of them zooming out the window, saying her tearful goodbyes, the explosion...

Goliath had shielded her from the blast. Of course, it made sense now. He had taken the full impact of the explosion. He had probably died instantly.

At these thoughts, Elisa began to sob like she had in her dream. Her mother had been told to expect this reaction. The flood of memories would be too much for Elisa, and she was told to just let her cry. Diane did just that. She held her hand and allowed her eldest daughter to mourn over everything that had happened, and everything that she had lost, though Diane knew for certain that the latter would take alot longer than a few hours of crying.

"Let it out, Elisa." Diane said quietly, rubbing her daughter's back with her free hand. The sobs had turned into quiet hiccups after a few minutes, though the tears still ran as freely down Elisa's coffee-coloured cheeks. Diane hadn't known what to say to her daughter to comfort her, so she said nothing more than, "I'm here, Elisa. Don't worry." Elisa, on the other hand, never said a word until finally, at length, she needed to.

"Where's Adam, mom?"

"Your father and Derek are caring for him upstairs in the castle."

The castle—a place that once gave her so much joy, then so much hatred, and then so much joy once again. The rollercoaster of emotions towards this building had finally stopped, except now the clan was one leader short.

Diane studied her daughter's face. It reminded her of the devastated faces of her daughter's friends, the gargoyles.

Angela hadn't stopped crying, even when David Xanatos had Goliath's body taken out of the mangled apartment. Hudson hadn't said two words the entire time Diane Maza had seen him, and the younger clanmembers all remained silent, with the exception of Brooklyn, her grandson's godfather of sorts. He was now the clan leader, and it was obvious by looking at him that he didn't feel he was ready, or that it was even happening at all.

Diane was called to the scene by Brooklyn. There was somberness to his voice over the phone that made Diane feel the need to drive 25 miles over the speed limit to reach the scene of her daughter's destroyed apartment. Once she arrived, she saw a hole in the top of the building that would have been her daughter's apartment. She was just about to go ballistic when Brooklyn and the others surrounded her. Angela was still crying then, and being comforted by Broadway. Brooklyn was holding Adam, who was dozing at the moment, completely comfortable in his godfather's arms. Even still, the clan's body language indicated to her that something very wrong had just occurred.

"What happened up there? Where is Elisa?" She asked hastily, pointing upwards to the apartment.

"Elisa is fine." Brooklyn stated calmly.

"Thank Heavens. So, what happened?" She began silently taking a role call. She counted two extra gargoyles she had never seen before, and figured these were the two Elisa had told her about a month or so ago. But one was missing. Goliath.

"Where is Goliath?" She asked.

"He...he..." Angela tried, but couldn't finish her sentence. Broadway had his large arm over her shoulder at that point, trying to comfort his mate with no immediate success.

"He was up there when the bomb went off..." Brooklyn explained quietly.

Diane's jaw dropped in horror. "Oh my God. He's...?"

The tears in the clan's eyes were confirmation of her thought. Though she didn't know him very well, she knew that he was a strong leader, a true friend, and her daughter's dearest love, and that this would stretch far beyond any motherly counseling she could provide. Her daughter would be scarred by this event for the rest of her life.

The tears began to come to Diane's eyes, and didn't stop dripping down until she sat beside her daughter's sleeping form in the hospital room.  
Silent in thought, Elisa stared blankly at the walls of the room. Finally, she spoke.

"When can I get out of here?" She asked. The tone of voice she used was almost chilling to her own mother.

"Soon, Elisa. The doctors need to make sure you're alright and that you didn't sustain another concussion again. You'll be out before you know it."

Elisa made a noise of understanding, though her mother deciphered that to be one of indifference instead. Just then, there was a knock on the door. The door opened, revealing Peter, Derek and Beth Maza. Beth was holding Adam.

"Hey, kiddo, how are you feeling?" Peter asked his daughter.

"I'm here." Elisa retorted coldly. Her family was taken aback by her snippy reply.

"Look, Adam, your mom's here!" Beth said, trying to lighten the mood in the room. She held Adam up towards his mother, and he extended his hands to her. Sadly, she took her son into her arms and held him close.

"Hi, baby," She cooed quietly. She began smoothing out his hair and fixing his clothing. Diane rose from her seat and joined the rest of her family as they watched the scene.

"How is she doing, seriously?" Derek asked his mother in a hushed tone, though they were out of earshot.

"I don't know. She's distant, snappy, and pensive. I'm sure it hasn't sunk in yet, but I don't think she should be alone at all today. She may start blaming herself for what happened."

"She's strong, honey. This is going to be tough on her, but she'll pull through. Have faith." Peter said, holding her hand. Diane watched as her daughter held her son like he was her lifeline. Diane frowned.

"Who wants to stay with her? I should take Adam for his nap."

They were silent for a few moments until Derek cleared his throat almost reluctantly.

"I'll stay with her." The others nodded while Diane went to Elisa to take Adam for his nap. Derek waved at his family members as they left the room. He sat next to Elisa where his mother had sat and exhaled quietly.

"So, sis, um…" He began uncomfortably. Elisa shifted in the bed, and fixated blankly upon an undetermined spot in the wall straight ahead.

"Derek, I know mom made you stay here with me. You don't have to keep me company, you know. I'm not going to jump out a window or something"

Derek was surprised at this line of conversation. He thought about his reply shortly before proceeding. He knew the detective in his sister would see right through any lie of omission he could concoct, so he was honest. "We're just worried about you, that's all. It's just better for you to be with someone right now."

Elisa sat up a bit straighter in the bed, and glared at her brother.

"No offense, Derek, but you aren't the person I'd most want to be with right now…" She began, turning her eyes downward at her hands in her lap. The tears suddenly began filling her sad eyes, but she couldn't look at her brother.

"Elisa, I know that this is hard—"

"Bullshit! You have no fucking idea how hard this is, Derek! The love of my life is gone, and he died saving me!" Elisa screamed suddenly, looking directly at her younger brother's eyes. He flinched at her lashing out. Elisa noticed this, and returned her gaze to her hands. She sighed. "I have no idea how to react to this. I feel like punching a wall, shooting something, and hiding from everyone, even Adam. I feel like there is nothing left for me, and yet I know that life must go on for me—Adam needs me." The tears fell from her eyes. She blinked slowly, then turned back to Derek, who had never allowed his gaze to shift away from his sister. "But how can I do that when my heart is gone? Derek, this hurts so much…" She broke down in her brother's arms. Derek never had to deal with this sort of trauma, so the only thing he knew to do was to just console her quietly. As the two eldest Maza siblings held onto each other, Derek felt an undeniable grief permeating his sister's usually sarcastic self. He was ill-prepared to aid his sister in her sorrow. The only thing he did was hold her until her weeping subsided.

"Sis," Derek said at length. "I heard the story from Brooklyn and Tachia. You have to know that you didn't cause his death. Thailog—"

"—is a psychopath that I wish I could have just five minutes alone with so that I could shoot him right between those creepy red eyes of his." Elisa replied quickly, and darkly. She looked up at the window again, and noticed that it was still dark. She decided instantly that she should at least ask about the others. She wasn't the only one who loved Goliath.

She exhaled. "How are Angela and the others dealing?"

Derek closed his eyes, and shook his head. "Last time I saw her, she was still crying. The rest of the clan is still in shock I think."

She had to ask this next question, though it killed her just to think of it.

"And where is his body?"

"Xanatos had the body brought to the castle. The gargoyles said that there would have to be a ritualistic burial tomorrow night. Something about an ancient tradition when burying clan leaders."

Elisa closed her eyes and hung her head. "I see."

There was a knock at the door just then. Elisa didn't even look up to see who it was. She didn't really care, anyway.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Derek, Detective." The familiar voice said from the doorway. "Mrs. Maza wants to speak to you, Derek." It was David Xanatos.

"Thanks, Xanatos." Derek said, rising from the chair. "Elisa, I'll be back soon, ok?" He said, gripping Elisa's hand comfortingly, and then walking out of the room, leaving Elisa and David Xanatos alone in the med ward room.

David wore a very concerned look as he took Derek's seat. Elisa finally looked up at her visitor.

"Detective, I am deeply sorry for your loss."

Elisa hiccupped quietly. "Thanks."

"He will be terribly missed by all the residents of the castle and the Eyrie, believe me." David said genuinely.

"I know."

"Now, Detective, I know that this may not be the best time to discuss this, but I would like to extend the castle to you, if only temporarily."

"What?" Elisa asked, confused about what exactly he was offering.

"Well, as you may or may not know, your apartment was completely decimated. The insurance company is taking care of the damages, but they are going to take at least two months to restore your apartment. What I am offering to you, Detective, is a home here with your clan. There are plenty of extra rooms, and you can pay me rent if you absolutely feel like you must…"

"Xanatos, I don't think that's a good idea. I doubt the clan will want to see me around—"

"Actually, Detective, I ran this by them before coming to see you. They agree that the best way all of you can heal from Goliath's death is by being close. In short, Elisa, I think I speak for the clan when I say that you are needed here."

"I don't know…" Elisa said, trying to decipher the look in David's eyes. It was sincerity to be sure. She was still getting used to that sort of look in his eyes, but it was most definitely sincerity.

"Well," David said as he rose from the chair. "Please consider my proposal."

Elisa breathed in and exhaled quickly. "I will. Thank you, Xanatos."

He turned back towards her before leaving the room. "And, Elisa, if there is anything I can do for you, please let Owen know."

Elisa was about to thank David again when a sudden thought struck her mind like a lightning bolt.

"Owen! Get Owen here now! I HAVE to speak to him!" Her words caught David unaware. He nodded in acceptance, and quickly stepped out of the room. By the time Owen reached Elisa, she was sitting fully upright in the bed, looking agitated and apprehensive.

"You wished to see me, detective?" Owen said in his usual monotone. Elisa's eyes bolted in his direction.

"Yes, I need to cash in that wish you gave me. Right now."

Owen stepped closer to the bed. "Very well." Instantly, Owen Burnett turned into his alter ego, Puck. He began to levitate in mid-air, and had a slightly less mirthful look on his face than usual.

"What can I do for you, detective? What is your wish?"

"Bring him back." Elisa demanded simply, her eyes burning a hole into Puck's forehead.

"Um, I don't think you understand my limitations. I can't just bring people back from the dead. I know that—"

"I don't accept that for a fucking minute!" Elisa shouted, startling Puck. Even in mid-air, he jumped a bit at her tone. "You've changed me into a gargoyle, you've saved my life a few times using your powers, and you're telling me you can't bring him back? He hasn't even been gone for a whole day yet! You can—"

"Detective, I can create things, and I can cause things to happen, but tampering with life and death is something that is completely forbidden, not to mention, really, really hard to do. I doubt that even Titania herself has ever been able meddle in it."

Tears began to run down Elisa's face. She had known that it was impossible, and that Puck most likely would not be able to help her even before she had summoned him, but hearing it made the truth seem all the more real. She sighed quietly, allowing the tears to fall, even in front of the fey, Puck. She was an emotional wreck, but she was determined not to lose control with Puck still in the room. Puck, showing a great deal more sadness than he thought he had revealed, hovered closer to Elisa and put a gentle hand upon her shoulder.

"I wish that I could bring him back, but, as with all magics, there are limits that cannot be ignored. I can't help you on this one. I am truly sorry." Elisa allowed herself to relax—if you could call it relaxing—against the pillow that was propped up behind her and closed her eyes. The tears continued to fall.

"I should have known, I guess. Thanks anyways." She nearly whispered. Puck shook his head briefly before changing back into Owen. Again in his bland human form, he looked solemnly at the heartbroken Elisa.

"Again, Detective, if there is anything else I can do for you, please let me know."

He walked towards the door, regarded Elisa once more, and then exited her room. Once Elisa heard the door close behind him, the floodgates were released. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed mournfully. No one could help her now. Goliath, the gargoyle who had captured her heart and taught her what it meant to fly, was gone, and there was nothing she could do to bring him back.

And, she thought, it was my fault.

---

On the other side of the city, at the Destine Manor, Demona sat upon her bed allowing herself to cry for the first time in many, many long years. The gargoyle she loved, the father of her only child, was gone, and she had a hand in his death. Her plan had worked perfectly, up until the part where she had forgotten Goliath's incredible sense of loyalty. However misplaced it was at that moment, it was something that had initially attracted him to her and now, it had been his undoing.

Blast you, Goliath, Demona thought ruefully. Why were you such a fool? You should have left the human and allowed her fate to take her to oblivion. Instead, you were taken in her place. She let out a rage filled scream just then, and threw a priceless vase against the wall in her anger.

"Why are you so upset, dear Demona?" Thailog taunted from across the room in the doorway. Demona shot an angry look his way, and replied, "Go to hell, Thailog!"

"Ah, your reaction confirms my suspicions perfectly. You wanted to rid yourself of the detective so that it would clear the way for you and Goliath to reconcile. Tell me I've got it." He smirked suggestively. Demona ran across the room and dropkicked Thailog before he even had a chance to shield himself. He fell to the floor, and put a hand to his winded stomach.

"Ooo I struck a nerve, didn't I?" He continued to instigate. Demona turned around and began walking towards the balcony.

"Where are you going, my dear?"

"I'm going to get as far away from you as possible!" Demona said angrily, opened the balcony doors and soared off into the night. Thailog picked himself up from the floor and let out a hearty laugh.

I've really outdone myself this time. I've devastated an entire clan, left a beautiful police woman without her gargoyle love, AND incensed the immortal Demona. Life is good…Now, to destroy another one of my proud fathers, Xanatos…

He stepped out on to the balcony as Demona had done and soared out to make a plan.

---

"It's nearly sunrise, lass." Hudson stated quietly, looking over the edge of the parapets of the castle. Angela was sitting upon her father's parapet with her knees drawn up close to her. Hudson's words startled her a bit. She turned to look at him.

"I know. I just wanted to be close to where he would be at this time of night." She said calmly, still gazing into the night. Hudson placed a grandfatherly hand upon her shoulder. Hudson had no further words for Angela, no response to the sorrow-filled sentence she had just handed to him, except for "Come now, lass. Tomorrow we shall say our goodbyes." as bravely as possible without succumbing to his own devastation at losing his student, his disciple.

As much as Hudson wanted to wait before burying the leader of his clan, he knew that tradition demanded the swift burial of the fallen comrade before decomposition took hold of the familiar form. This was done so that the clan would always remember the way he was before his death, and not be scarred with the lingering effects of seeing him dead. Hudson had already picked out a spot to bury him. In the courtyard, where the humans who once inhabited the castle had their festivals, there was a relatively large patch of grass that would be the suitable for his burial.

Angela looked up at Hudson, fresh tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'd like to stay up here for the day. Perhaps he will visit me in my dreams."

Hudson's heart broke as he heard the desperate tone she used to voice her hope.

"Alright, Angela. I'll see you tonight then." Hudson said, walking away from Angela. She turned back to watch the sun rise mournfully.

_So begins my life without my father…_

_**November 1, 1997, 11:07 am**_

Elisa woke from another tormented dream, sweating and sobbing horribly. It had been another dream where Goliath looked blankly at her for the majority of it, and then suddenly disappeared from view. In this dream, however, Goliath's broken body was not shown to her. She felt as if she had searched for him in the dense fog for hours, but in reality, it was only about ten minutes in waking time. She looked around her briefly before realizing she was still in Xanatos' medical ward room. She stretched a little before pushing the covers off of her and stepping out of the bed. Her slightly sore feet touched the bare ceramic flooring, and a chill ran up and down her being at the coldness of the surface. Her thoughts went to Goliath. How cold he must be, the appearance of his body, the touch of his once-soft skin…

She shuddered.

The red call button beside the bed was prominent. She turned and pressed it. Within a few minutes, Owen Burnett knocked upon her door. Elisa was already out of the bed, wearing a red terry cloth robe that Diane Maza had brought from her home. Her bare feet padded against the floor sullenly as she went to open the door.

"Detective, it is good to see you up. What can I do for you?"

"Take me to see his body." She demanded simply. Owen nodded without a reply.

---

The first thing Elisa noticed as Owen opened the door to the makeshift morgue was the silence. It was all around. It was deafening. It flooded the cold and dark room like a tsunami. The only sound audible was the sound of their footsteps as they walked closer towards the figure covered by a large blanket on a wooden table located in the dead centre of the room. Owen and Elisa walked towards the figure. Owen turned to Elisa, bowed and left her alone. Elisa was grateful that she didn't have to ask him to leave, which meant that she wouldn't have to explain why she wanted to be alone with him. As Owen left the room and closed the door behind him, Elisa approached the body calmly, as she would if she were in the forensics centre after a homicide. She tried to distance herself from he who lay beneath the blanket, and it seemed to work until she pulled the cover off of his face. Within seconds, she felt sick to her stomach and heaved painfully into a wastebasket near the door. She hadn't eaten since before the incident, so her heaves were fruitless. After regaining her composure, she shuffled sadly again towards the body for take two at examining him.

His skin was no longer the rich lavender shade it once was, but a dull, patchy shade of grey. She couldn't resist the urge to touch it, so with a shaky hand, she grazed his cheek with the back of her hand. The sensation of his lifeless skin on her hand made the events of the night before seem real, tangible. A tear escaped her eye. She wiped it away, and leaned closer towards his face, as if getting a better look at him would magically awaken him. His eyelids held behind them no life, no joy, no spirit. They were dead, and empty. There was surely nothing more she could do except face reality and somehow move on, though moving on didn't seem to be a feasible option as she stared at Goliath's lifeless body, now covered with debris and cuts and scrapes from the explosion.

"You're so cold," She said quietly, touching his face again, and then smoothing his hair. "Why did you do it, Goliath? Why did you save me? Your clan needed you a lot more than they need me. I don't think I could live without you here, now that we've found each other. I guess I'm ultimately selfish, but damn you, Goliath. You've killed me. With your death, I'm dead, too." She finished quietly, allowing the tears to fall again. She found a chair in the corner of the room and pushed it beside Goliath's body. She dropped her tired weary body into the chair and faced Goliath's gentle face.

"Why?" She asked the corpse before her.

Beside him was where she remained until right before the sun set, when her parents and Derek came looking for her, preparing for the burial.

---

As the sun set that evening, Elisa dreaded the events to come more and more. She knew of the clan's intention to bury Goliath that evening, only one night after his tragic death. It wasn't very settling for her, but then again, the events of the few nights were anything but settling.

The clan was gathered in the Great hall when Elisa, Derek and her parents arrived. Most of them were standing, feeling uncomfortable and anxious. Elisa was worried about their reaction to her, since this would be their first meeting since Goliath's death. Carefully, she walked towards the clan, her arm linked with her mother's for support. Angela was the first to notice Elisa.

"Elisa!" She cried out, walking towards her. Elisa let go of her mother and prepared to accept her punishment from Goliath's only child. But it never came. Instead, Elisa received a gentle and heartfelt hug from Angela. Angela began crying as she hugged her father's love. Elisa joined her in her crying, causing many other eyes to moisten in the room. They were interrupted by Hudson clearing his throat.

"We are going ta begin the ceremony now. Everyone, come outside to the courtyard." He said with sadness resonating in his tone. He walked away, making no eye contact with anyone in the room. One by one, the clan emptied the Great Hall and filed out to the courtyard. Once they were there, they were presented with a large wooden table, similar to the one the body had been on in the makeshift morgue. Upon this table was a large casket, and within the casket, there lay the clan's leader. His wings were draped over his shoulders majestically. He wore a new white loincloth, complete with a golden belt buckle. His hair was tied behind his head in a long pony tail. His hands were placed together on his chest, slightly below where his wingtips met. In short, he looked like a sleeping king. Beside the large wooden table, a large hole was dug, awaiting its new resident.

Hudson approached the body, and addressed the small congregation around him.

"Thank you, clan, friends, for being here today. Though in human tradition, this seems a bit too fast to be burying our leader, gargoyle tradition demands that we bury our leader while his memory is still fresh in our heads, lest we forget the great things he has done as leader, and as a part a this clan. This tradition is simply to have each of the clan say a few words about Goliath. After this, we say our final goodbyes to our friend and lay him to rest. Who would like ta begin?"

"I'll go," Brooklyn, the reluctant new leader said, stepping forward.

"Goliath taught me how to be a good leader, though I never wanted to put my knowledge to practice. He was a great friend, a compassionate gargoyle, and we are all greater beings for knowing him." He concluded, wiping his red eyes. Behind the crowd, David Xanatos, Fox and Owen were standing, silently observing the goings on—not to pry, but to pay their own final respects to Goliath without interfering with the ceremony.

"He was patient and a noble warrior. He helped me grow up, even when I was in the past. I would sometimes think, 'what would Goliath do in this situation?' Usually, I picked the right course of action that way. I'm going to miss him a lot." Lexington added, never allowing his eyes to stray to the body in front of him.

"I think I speak for my sister when I say that we didn't know Goliath long, but that we wish that we could have known him better." Tachia said quietly. Eosine nodded.

"Yes, he was described to us as a righteous gargoyle, a true warrior with a large heart. These descriptions turned out to be true, and then some. May God rest your soul, dear Goliath. Until we meet again." Eosine concluded, motioning the sign of the cross over the body before walking back to Lexington's side sadly as Tachia walked to Brooklyn.

"I taught him much, but I believe that we all learned a great deal from him. He was a fine leader, and the greatest gargoyle I have ever had the privilege to have known in my long life. Goodbye, my leader, my friend." Hudson said, touching Goliath's hand that rested upon his chest.

Bronx began whining quietly, only to be silenced by Broadway. Up to that point, he had been supporting Angela, with his hands gripped tightly at her shoulders. He released her and stepped forward to say his piece.

"We went through a lot together. He was one of the best. I still can't believe he's gone." Broadway stated.

Angela joined Broadway in front of the congregation and wiped her eyes again.

"My father was taken from us far too early. He was gentle, kind, understanding, and a true friend to all. I understand now where I came from, and who I am because of him. I love you, father. Rest in peace."

Now was Elisa's turn. She walked unsteadily before the crowd and placed a hand of support beside his casket on the table. She thought of saying things to the clan, but instead, turned to face her love for the last time in this lifetime, and spoke loudly enough so that the entire congregation could hear.

"My love," She began. "I have no idea who decided that we were right for each other, or what force in heaven and earth conspired to bring us together, but it is something that I will be forever grateful for." A few eyes were moistened at this point. "You changed my life forever, saved me from a life without love and gave me the kind of happiness I thought I would never get to experience. Ours was something that can only be found in fairy tales. God, I miss you already." She suddenly faltered, knees wobbling. She fell over his chest, the tears running freely now. Brooklyn and Broadway took her hand to help her up, but she batted them away.

"It was my fault, goddamn it!" She cried out wretchedly, clinging to him miserably. "He saved me from being killed, but not from death. I'm dying without him…God, he should have let me die! I'm sorry, Angela. I'm so sorry…" Her cries lowered slightly as Broadway and Brooklyn managed to pry her off of the body. Angela walked over to Elisa and shook her head sadly.

"Elisa, you aren't to blame for his death. Thailog is! You mustn't blame yourself for it!"

"How can I not? I would be lying to myself if I didn't!" Elisa said, gripping onto Brooklyn's arm tightly. Angela's look softened as she touched her shoulder.

"No. You didn't ask to be held prisoner in your own apartment. None of what happened was your fault."

"Yes, Elisa. Angela is right. Thailog and his 'associate' are to blame. We will seek them out tomorrow night and claim vengeance for Goliath's murder." Brooklyn chimed darkly. Elisa was still so distraught that she didn't have the strength to argue. Brooklyn guided her to a chair nearby and helped her sit in it. Hudson then walked up again to Goliath's body and looked over the congregation to David Xanatos and company.

"Xanatos, would ye like ta say a few words?" The clan turned to regard David. He stood holding his wife's hand, but released it when summoned to say something about Goliath. He walked towards the body, between various clan members. He gazed into the open casket solemnly before clearing his throat and beginning.

"He and I were never exactly the best of friends, and for a time, we all considered each other enemies. But I guess that is the effect a child has on people. I don't think I can ever repay your clan for what you did to save my son, but I owed an undetermined amount of apology to Goliath. He was a great gargoyle, the symbol of loyalty and strength, and a role model of the finest quality. He will be sorely missed, not only by the clan, but the Xanatoses as well." He turned to look once more at the body, and then walked back to meet his wife who was visibly shaken by the death. Hudson nodded and returned to the casket.

"We now return our leader to the earth. Though he's gone, n'er will he be forgotten. So speaks his clan, the clan of castle Wyvern." Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington reached down to lift up the casket. They hoisted it a few feet in the air before lowering the casket gently into the grave. The casket closed, and began lowering. Elisa watched quietly as the casket was lowered into the earth, and then piles of dirt were thrown on top of it. Angela nearly collapsed at the sight, and Broadway was almost too late in reaching her before she fell to the floor. He caught her arm, and was her strength as she watched the surreal and disturbing scene play out before her. All the others were silent, even the Xanatoses and Owen. They watched as Goliath's death was finalized, made real to them.

Elisa's quiet sobs were the loudest thing in the courtyard as Goliath was laid to rest.

---

High above, in another dimension of space and time, an other worldly being watched the scene and shook its head.  
"A wrong has been done, a shift in the balance has occurred. A being has died that should not have. This discrepancy must be corrected at all costs."

---

_...to be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2: Anguish II

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_

Song: "_**Far Away**_"  
Artist: _**Nickelback**_  
Album: "_All the Right Reasons_", released 2006

**_FAR AWAY..._**

The burial was over. They had laid the best of the clan to his final resting place. The clan surrounded Elisa silently, watching her. She was weakened by this loss; she lost a piece of her when he died…

Her footsteps were slow, deliberate. Tachia and Brooklyn walked on either side of Elisa, taking her hands, wanting to lead her back into the castle. Still in a daze, she didn't feel them hold her hands until she looked down at them. Almost angrily, she swatted at them slowly.

"Let go. I'm not going into the castle just yet. I need to be alone with him."

Brooklyn and Tachia gave each other meaningful looks and nodded. They let go of her hands, and watched as Elisa walked slowly back towards where he had just been buried moments before. They noticed how she continued to keep her eyes on the stone floor, and how she had joined her hands in front of her, as if in silent prayer.

"Brook, no need to worry. I'll stay here and make sure she's alright. Go inside with the clan, love. It's beginning to get cold." Tachia said, brushing a hand across Brooklyn's cheek softly. He gave a look of worry at the sight of Elisa, but didn't dare contradict his mate, and did as he was told. He knew she had a lot of experience with dealing with grief. Tachia turned back her attention to Elisa, who was now about fifty feet away from her. She decided internally that she would watch Elisa and allow her the time she needed to be alone, until Elisa showed any signs that this time was detrimental to her. Elisa stood right in front of the grave, ignoring the late autumn chill that suddenly fell over the night air.

* * *

Elisa regarded the mound of dirt that had been piled over the casket and shook her head. 

_"Damnit, this isn't right…."_

This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know, you know, you know…

_"I can't believe you are gone. It sunk in, but now it just feels like some cruel joke…"_

That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore...

_"God, I wish there were a way to bring you back, but Puck confirmed that was impossible. Fuck, what good is magic if it can't prevent something this senseless. For that matter, what the fuck was the point of that goddamned wish? I would do anything to take back the actions of Halloween night. It was all wrong. All of it just went wrong. I swear upon my very life, Goliath, that I will find Thailog and his associate and kill them both myself. Goddamnit, it was most likely Demona. I'll rip her heart out…no, I can't do that. I would be the biggest hypocrite in the world. But it hurts so bad, Goliath. There is nothing I can do to bring you back to me. What I would give to see you again…"_

Elisa dropped to her knees before the grave, causing Tachia to step forward worriedly. She retreated when she saw that Elisa wasn't sobbing, but smoothing some of the newly placed dirt. She continued to speak to the grave…

On my knees, I'll ask  
Last chance for one last dance  
'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
All of hell to hold your hand  
I'd give it all  
I'd give for us  
Give anything but I won't give up  
'Cause you know, you know, you know...

_"Why did it take so long for us to find each other, and realize our true feelings for each other? We wasted nearly three years of our lives being stubborn and thinking that our love was wrong. Now I look back and I hate myself for pushing you away those times you wanted to talk about it. Goddamnit, what a fool I was. What a fool I am…"_

That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore...

_"I wonder where you are right now. I know your body is before me, six feet under the earth atop this building, but I wonder where your spirit is. I've never been overly religious, like Tachia and Eosine, but I've always thought that the spirit lives on, and my dad always taught me the same from the Native teachings. I hope that all of that is true, because at least I would know that you live on somewhere, and that maybe someday we'd meet again…"_

So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
But you know, you know, you know...

_"But Damnit, Goliath, WHY? Why did you save me? I told you to get out of there. I was prepared to die knowing that you would be safe, the clan would be safe, and my son would be safe. Saving me was exactly what Thailog wanted you to do! He knew you'd act exactly the way you did. He was banking on your sense of duty and loyalty to do you in, and he banked correctly. Damn him…"_

I wanted  
I wanted you to stay  
'Cause I needed  
I need to hear you say  
That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I forgive you  
For being away for far too long  
So keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving  
Hold on to me and never let me go...

Tachia finally decided that this was the time to get Elisa from her kneeling position before the grave and bring her into the castle.

"Elisa," Tachia whispered, watching Elisa's reaction to her intently. "Let us go inside? It is getting cold, dear." She leaned down and extended her hand to Elisa. She looked up at the concerned female, and took her hand. Tachia helped her up from the ground and lead her towards the Great Hall so that she could be with her family. Elisa said nothing.


	3. Chapter 3: Anguish III

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_

**All comments are most definitely appreciated!**

_**Anguish – Part 3**_

_October 31, 1997_

Oblivion took over. What happened? Where am I? My vision is non-existent. How did I get here? My memories are blank. Why can't I remember how I was brought here? Where is Elisa? Wait…I protected her. I saved her…but from what or whom? It is still blurred…someone was threatening her, a gargoyle…Thailog! Of course, now I remember. He had set a bomb in her apartment, and I was unable to free her from her bindings. The bomb was about to go off when she urged me to leave. But I couldn't. I knew life without her would be empty, and I couldn't let her suffer like that, so at the last minute, I threw myself on top of her to protect her from the blast. I felt her lips kissing me, and then I heard the explosion. And now I am here. I have no idea where I am—unless of course I am dead. Is this what being dead is like? No feeling, no senses, only oblivion. It must be.

The being watched the burial of an honourable gargoyle with a sense of purpose. This must be rectified. Now, more than ever, the Jackal god knew what had to be done. But it necessitated acceptance. He instantly located Goliath's spirit and re-established his senses. He appeared before Goliath in a familiar form.  
His senses and body restored, Goliath saw a dark figure before him. He squinted.

"Who—?"

"I am Anubis. I believe we have met before, gargoyle. In Egypt."

Goliath was given back his body, or at least a body that could hold his spirit while Anubis told him his story. He was then shown the being in charge of life and death. They had indeed met when Avalon had sent them to Egypt. A bereaved father named Amir tried to summon Anubis to force the god to bring his son back to him, and ended up joining with the god in his attempt. The being before him, however, looked like he had before the being was joined by magic with Amir. The human must have died in the collapse of the pyramid and was released from the magical bond. Goliath decided not to ask about Amir's fate; there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Yes, I remember. Where am I?"

"You are in the afterlife. The explosion that was meant to kill the human Elisa Maza killed you instead."

"I see," Goliath replied quietly. This news was still somewhat of a shock to him, though the sight of Anubis was helping it sink in. "So why have you summoned me to you? What is it that you wish of me?"

Anubis paused before replying, choosing his words wisely. "I have watched the events of the last 24 hours with special interest. Typically, I never meddle in these affairs, as death is the ultimate fairness, but I felt an imbalance in the universe soon after your death, and felt I needed to investigate"  
Goliath was puzzled, but remained silent to allow him to speak. He had not been capable of seeing what had happened after his death. Anubis understood this and continued.

"I see that you are confused. Allow me to show you what I mean."

Goliath was suddenly presented with a vision of Elisa's apartment from the outside, and moments later, the explosion shattering the neighbouring building's windows and destroying Elisa's apartment. The vision then cut into the scene in what once was Elisa's bedroom, and Broadway and Hudson pulling Goliath's body off of Elisa, while Eosine and Tachia helped Elisa up from her bed. She was crying hysterically, trying to bat the gargoyles off of her. When the body was successfully extracted from the room, Elisa took one look at it and fainted into Eosine's arms. Before the vision faded into another, Angela was seen with her face in her hands, crying mournfully.

The next scene he was presented was in Elisa's medical ward room, after she was left alone. She was visited by David Xanatos.

_"What I am offering to you, Detective, is a home here with your clan. There are plenty of extra rooms…"_

To that, Elisa replied, _"Xanatos, I don't think that's a good idea. I doubt the clan will want to see me around—"_

David Xanatos interrupted her train of thought.

_"Actually, Detective, I ran this by them before coming to see you. They agree that the best way all of you can heal from Goliath's death is by being close. In short, Elisa, I think I speak for the clan when I say that you are needed here."_

_"I don't know…"_

_"Well, please consider my proposal."_

The scene faded and the next scene he was shown was set in a dark and silent room. Goliath was confused.

"Anubis, what is this?"

The Jackal god pointed to the scene. "Your earthly form, alone, and forgotten. Or is it…"

The eerie silence in the scene was disrupted by Owen Burnett escorting Elisa, visibly shaken, into the room. Goliath watched worriedly as Elisa, now left alone in the room, walked towards the body.

_"You're so cold. Why did you do it, Goliath? Why did you save me? Your clan needed you a lot more than they need me. I don't think I could live without you here, now that we've found each other. I guess I'm ultimately selfish, but damn you, Goliath. You've killed me. With your death, I'm dead, too." _

Goliath watched as Elisa cried again mournfully. He had never seen her cry in this manner—he had seen her cry when her brother was transformed into a mutate, but her cries over his death were earth shattering, torturous, cruel to him. He wished that he could somehow reach out to her and tell her not to cry, for he was safe, and would be able to watch over her, but he felt that somehow this would be impossible.

"My heart breaks for her," Goliath began, feeling incredibly emotional just then. "Why do you show me this?" His sadness for Elisa's pain turned to frustration towards the god before him.  
"Patience, gargoyle. There is one more scene to be shown."

Suddenly, a casket atop a large wooden table was flashed for Goliath's viewing. He instantly recognized the ritualistic quick burial of clan leaders. One by one, the clan members each said their part about their leader, their friend. Finally, it was Elisa's turn. Out of all of them, she seemed to be taking his loss the hardest. Even Angela had kept some strength, possibly due to Broadway's constant support.

As Goliath heard her final words to him, he couldn't hold back his emotions any longer, and dropped to the ground, his face in his hands.

"My love," He said sadly. "I had to. You must understand. Without you, there would be no life for me…" He looked up at Anubis. "So, you wish me to suffer knowing she is dying inside? Is that it?"

Anubis shook its head.

"On the contrary. I have shown you these events of the last 24 hours in order to fix what has been broken. You see, your time has not yet come. Your time has been fated for many, many moons from now, when you are old and grey, with your mate and children surrounding you,"

_Children?_ Goliath thought silently.

Anubis continued. "This imbalance has prevented your spirit from crossing to the other side. I noticed this inequity just a few moments ago, which is why I have shown you these things."

"I do not understand. I thought you could not bring those back who have died."

"True, the Jackal god cannot play favourites, but this is an imbalance that must be put right, lest all the inhabitants of Earth pass before their predestined time, and all of the realms of the afterlife be thrown into chaos."

"So if this is the case, take me back to—"

Anubis held up its hand. "It is not that simple, gargoyle. First, we must contact the being who you died protecting and ask if he or she agrees with the terms."

"Terms? What sort of terms do you mean?"

"I cannot disclose that to you. You must show yourself to her. Now is the perfect opportunity." Anubis pointed to the scene that swirled in front of Goliath; Elisa was sleeping in the Great Hall restlessly. Goliath nodded.

---

After the burial, and after her near breakdown before Goliath's grave, Elisa had been too tired to get to the medical ward room she had been in earlier, so she stayed in the Great Hall, and tried to take a nap on one of the leather couches David had recently purchased for the clan. The clan went without patrolling that night and spent the rest of the evening together in the Great Hall. Their main point of concern was Elisa's condition. They had never seen her so fragile, so emotional, so frail and it scared them terribly. She was always strong, and always kept her personal feelings from what she showed on the surface. This was definitely not the way she was handling things in this instance. It was one of the reasons why the clan hoped that Elisa would accept David Xanatos' offer of moving into the castle--partly because, besides Angela, Elisa was their final link to Goliath, and partly because they wanted to take care of her and ensure her condition didn't deteriorate further.

Tachia and Brooklyn stood towards the end of the sofa, watching worriedly as Elisa tried to sleep.

"What did she do out there?" Brooklyn asked his mate. Tachia had observed Elisa's speech to Goliath and, when she thought it was time to bring her in, did just that and walked with her into the castle.

"She told him how she felt. Uncensored, unrehearsed. Just raw emotion. I knew she would react like that. It is how I reacted when my brothers and sisters were massacred all those years ago." The green skinned female took her mate's hand.

"How do you think she'll fare in recovering?" Brooklyn asked, rubbing Tachia's hand in his.

"It will be hard, but not impossible. I speak from experience, my love."

Eosine walked slowly towards Elisa's tossing form upon the sofa and shook her head gently.

"Lord, give us strength to overcome this tragedy." The others were silent, watching Elisa trying to sleep peacefully, only to be given tormented sleep.

Elisa's mind was racing in her dreams.

She was five years old, seated on a swing in a park, being pushed by her grandmother. She pushed Elisa happily on the swing, and her granddaughter laughed joyfully all the way. Suddenly, the little girl was no longer being pushed.

"Grandma? Where are you?" She asked into the air. Her grandmother was gone, and Elisa was suddenly thrown into the present time, and standing over Goliath's casket. She began sobbing as she had before.

"Goliath, I love you so very much. Why did you have to die?"

Just then, as Elisa stared at the corpse's blank face, the eye lids opened and the corpse began moving. Elisa stepped back in terror, watching the dead-looking body raise itself.

"What the—"

Goliath sat up, and swiftly stepped out of the casket and approached Elisa.

"My love!" Goliath began, only to be shocked at Elisa's reaction. She backed away fast.

"Get out of my head! Stop tormenting me! I have to forget you! Goddamn it, I have to forget you, or I'll go crazy!" She yelled at the now living corpse. He continued to walk towards her.

"Elisa, please! I need to speak with you! Please, my angel, listen to me—" He tried to plead, but Elisa would have nothing of it. She shook her head violently and screamed.

"I know this is a dream! Wake up, Maza, wake up! GET OUT OF MY HEAD GOLIATH! YOU'RE DEAD! Leave me alone with my grief, please, for God's sake!"

Suddenly, the dream disappeared, and Elisa awoke with a start. The clan was surprised when they turned to her and saw that Elisa had bolted upright upon the sofa, in a cold sweat and sobbing. Brooklyn sat beside her and held her by the shoulders.

"Did you have a dream?"

She sighed through her tears. "More like a nightmare, Brook. Goliath appeared to me, but I was terrified of him. I told him to go away, but he said he had something to tell me," She looked down into her hands, ashamed of what she was going to say next. "God, I want to forget him."

"It would surely make our grief more bearable, lass, but we canna forget him even if we tried." Hudson said quietly, his tone helping to calm Elisa down. She closed her eyes and let the tears continue to fall.

"I just want to forget everything that's happened the last few days. I'm so tired…" She yawned again. Tachia walked over to Elisa and helped her up from the sofa.

"It's obvious that ya need a quiet place to sleep. David told me once about a few of the vacant rooms in the castle that you can use. Perhaps if you agree to it, one will be your chambers soon enough…" She smiled faintly as she helped Elisa up and began walking her to the hallway towards the rooms she spoke of.

"Thanks, Tachia. I think I need quiet…" Elisa replied in a hushed whisper as she walked out of the Great hall with Tachia, nearly leaning upon her. The others watched this sad scene and their worry doubled for their dear friend.

----

"Anubis! She would not listen to me! What am I to do?" Goliath cried to the Jackal god after the dream ended.

"You must have her agree to listen to you. Once that happens, I will appear and tell her the terms by which you can be re-born to the Earth."

Goliath nodded sadly.

----

"Now, Elisa, sleep peacefully." Tachia stated as she pulled the covers of the king sized bed over Elisa in the hopes of making her more comfortable. Elisa yawned again, and nodded her thanks before dozing off again.

"God be with you, dear Elisa. May He give you the peace you so desperately need." She said a small and silent prayer before exiting the room.

Elisa, once again, drifted off into sleep, only this time, she was presented with a different scene.

A boy Elisa estimated to be approximately 8 years old was sleeping in his bed. The boy had a tanned complexion, and blue-black hair. His nose was slightly pointed downwards. Before Elisa could name off more of his features, she knew that this was her son. She walked towards him and watched as he slept peacefully in his bed. She sat beside him on the bed and kissed his forehead, extra careful not to wake him. He did rouse, though. His eyes fluttered open, and adjusted to the sight of his mother. He smiled at her.

"Hi, sweetie," Elisa said, smoothing the disordered hair on his perfect head.

"Hi, mom. I just had a dream," He stated.

"Oh? What was it about, Adam?"

"Daddy. Where is he, mom?"

Elisa's pulse suddenly raced in terror at the thought of Tony Dracon. "I…" She couldn't bring herself to tell him that he was killed before Adam was even born. Adam then looked past his mother at the doorway.

"Daddy!" He jumped out of bed and ran towards the doorway before Elisa could even see who or what had been standing there.

"Hey, Sugar. You can't keep me out of your head, or out of our son's dreams. He is a Dracon, and will always be. It runs in his blood. You can't fight it, honey." Tony Dracon's evil voice was heard all around, and then one of his trademark laughs followed. Elisa shook her head.

"No! He's never going to be like you if I can help it!" She screamed, her eyes closing tightly. Suddenly the scene changed. She opened her eyes and saw that she was back in her apartment prior to the explosion that had killed Goliath. She walked slowly to the kitchen, surveyed the kitchen, the living room, and then walked to her bedroom. Everything was as she knew it had been. She sat upon her bed and looked around.

"Elisa," A familiar voice said from behind her. She turned around and saw Goliath standing by the bed. She instantly rose from the bed and backed away again.

"Elisa, you must listen to me."

"No! I'm dreaming! This is just part of the nightmare I just had with Tony Dracon!"

"No, my darling, I am real. Remember when we were in Egypt and we met Anubis, the god of life and death? He sent me here to speak with you. There is a way to bring me back to you. You must agree to it, but there is a way to end this suffering for both of us." He blurted before she had a chance to stop him. She processed the information quickly in her head before deciding to believe what he said. As she reached her decision, she walked towards him, stopping right in front of him. She studied his face, the lavender skin she hadn't seen in only 2 days, the giant arms that carried her time and again. Elisa threw all her doubts out the window, and embraced Goliath tearfully.

"God, I miss you so much. You have no idea."

He smiled through his own tears. "I believe I have some idea, my love. You have been in pain for too long. But you must agree to listen to Anubis."

She released him slightly so that she may look up at his face. "Ok, Goliath. I agree."

A flash blinded them both, and Anubis appeared behind them. They turned to regard him, but never let go of each other's hands.

"Elisa Maza, the imbalance in the universe has prevented Goliath's spirit from passing. His time was not fated for the night of October 31. There is a way of bringing him back to the world. However, a trade must be made. His spirit must be replaced with another's. Do you accept these terms?"

Goliath was shocked. "This was NOT part of the terms, Anubis! I do not accept this!"

Elisa silenced Goliath by placing a gentle hand over his mouth.

"Anubis, I accept." She stated. Goliath turned to her, holding her now by the shoulders.

"Elisa, I will gladly stay where I am rather than for you to take my place. Please, do not do this!" Elisa shook her head at his objection.

"Goliath, you are needed. The clan is a wreck without you. I was a wreck without you. This is better for everyone."

"Not for me!" Goliath cried.

"I love you. Never forget that," She turned to Anubis. "Ok, I accept the terms. Let's get this over with now." Anubis nodded once, and everything went black.

Elisa opened her eyes, and realized her hands were bound together above her head. She looked around ever so quickly and understood immediately that she was back in her apartment, minutes before the explosion that had killed Goliath. Anubis had given them all a second chance.

Elisa knew that struggling against her bindings would only result in more pain in her wrists. She looked up and saw Thailog's red eyes beaming down upon her from beside the bed. Just then, Goliath crashed through the window and tackled Thailog, throwing him against the wall as Elisa remembered from that ill-fated night. Brooklyn then came charging in along with Tachia.

Before they could even ask anything, Elisa looked over at her crying son, and screamed, "Brook! Tachia! Take my son out of here! NOW!"

Brooklyn and Tachia were surprised into silence, but did as they were told. Brooklyn crouched, picked up the terrified baby, and flew out the window with his mate. Her attention now focused upon Goliath and Thailog's battle, she turned her head to see Thailog slamming Goliath into the wall, and then dashing off through the window too. Suddenly, a thought came to her head. Before Goliath could get up, Elisa yelled at him to get up.

"Goliath!" She cried, stopping him from chasing after Thailog momentarily. "Get Thailog, and figure out a way to knock him unconscious. Once you do, bring him back here. I have an idea! Hurry!"

He looked at her briefly, with understanding, and dashed out the window in search of Thailog.

Goliath zoomed through the window and chased Thailog.

"Thailog!" Goliath screamed as the wind ripped against his wings, bringing him closer to his target. Thailog turned in mid air to see Goliath gaining on him.

"Goliath, you will never defeat me!" He turned away and continued to glide away from Goliath. He narrowed his wings and sped closer to his cloned son. He finally reached him, and threw some punches at him, with only a few making contact. Thailog laughed at Goliath and dipped lower in the air to avoid the punches. Goliath remembered what Elisa had told him just moments before, and suddenly disappeared from Thailog's sight.

Where did my father go? Thailog turned mid-air, looking at the city lights below, trying to see any sign of Goliath. Just then, a swooshing sound was heard, and Thailog felt a sharp pain to his head. Instantly, his eyes closed, and he began descending to the earth, unconscious. Goliath had hit him forcefully with a steel bar from a construction site across the back of his head, rendering him unconscious. Goliath held Thailog by the arm and struggled to bring him back to the apartment.

Elisa was slightly panicking, watching the small clock on the bomb near the window tick away. There were only three minutes left before Elisa would be killed by the bomb. Inside, she was screaming out, terrified of the end of her life, but she knew that this would have to happen if it was fated to happen. Anubis had made it clear that another's life was supposed to have been ended instead of Goliath's, but he had never actually specified whose life was supposed to take its place. Elisa's plan to bring Thailog back to the apartment just might work—if only Goliath would hurry up!

Just then, Elisa heard a grunt that was hinted with a deep baritone she was incredibly familiar with. She turned to see Goliath dropping Thailog's unconscious body on the floor beside Elisa's bed. She breathed a bit easier when she saw the body.

"Elisa, why did you want him here? I don't understand—"

"No time to explain, Goliath. Quick, there's only a minute left. Put him on top of me."

Goliath gave her a queer look, but shook it off instantly. He went to work, lifting Thailog's body and covering Elisa's small frame with the large gargoyle's body. Elisa turned her head so as not to look at the monster on top of her. She looked down at the bomb, and realized there were only a few seconds left before the bomb would explode.

"Goliath! Get out of here now!"

He stood silent for a moment before Elisa screamed again, "GO!"

He nodded and threw himself out of the window.

Elisa began counting down the seconds on the clock when she felt movement above her. Horrified, she turned her head slowly and saw the body on top of her was beginning to stir. Thailog's disturbing red eyes began to open, and once they did, they focused horridly upon Elisa.

She turned away from his burning eyes, panic-stricken, to count the seconds down on the clock.

5…Thailog looked from Elisa's face to the bomb. His instincts were still hazy, so he had to take some effort to put the picture before him into focus.

4…

3…

2…

1…  
Thailog's eyes adjusted and he realized what he was looking at. His eyes widened. "Oh shit…"

The deafening sound of the bomb exploding was unlike anything Elisa had ever heard before. She knew that the sound would be etched into her memory for decades to come. It would forever give her chills just thinking about it—the shattering of glass, the sound of the debris flying through the air, Thailog's final grunts above her, and the boom from the tiny device that took Goliath's life before. This was a distinctive noise that would forever haunt her, she knew.

Everything went black after that. Not because Elisa passed out, but because she shut her eyes so tightly from the blast and from the sight of Thailog on top of her. Still with her eyes closed, she heard car alarms going off down upon the street below, and scared screams from her neighbours in the building. Before Elisa had a chance to realize she was still alive, she instead realized that a heavy gargoyle body was on top of her, and it was really, really heavy—it was dead weight. She moved her hands, as the bindings released as they had before, and she huffed and tried to push the body off of her to no avail. Not only was she exhausted from the blast and the worry that took over her throughout the entire night (not to mention the last 24 hours of her memory), but she was also overcome with terror that the strength left her hands. She pushed for a few moments until she heard swooshing sounds on the other side of the destroyed wall.

She felt hands pulling the dead body off of her and once it was off of her, Elisa opened her eyes and saw Broadway, Lexington and Goliath over her. Still shaken from the ordeal, and seeing Goliath safe after all she had gone through the last 24 hours, Elisa was again overcome by everything, but this time, she fainted back towards her pillow.

---

Elisa awoke in a familiar room. She immediately recognized the white walls and familiar smell of the medical room in the Eyrie Building. She turned her head to the left to see her mother sitting beside her, and seated next to her was Goliath with his wings draped over his shoulders, wearing a look of worry that rivaled Diane's. Elisa smiled at both of them, and those looks disappeared from both of their faces.

"Oh, honey! Thank goodness you're alright!" Diane said the exact same words that Elisa remembered she had said the first time around…

"How do you feel?" Goliath asked Elisa, reaching for her hand. Elisa let a tear fall down her cheek.

"I'm good. I'm wonderful, actually." She beamed, looking at her mother, and then letting her eyes rest upon her love. They remained there even while her mother spoke again. Whatever she had said went in one ear, and soared through the other. Elisa was focused upon the gargoyle she thought she'd never see alive again. When she realized she was being a bit rude to her mother for not listening to her, she looked at her and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, mom, um…"

Diane knew her daughter inside and out, and knew that she was quickly becoming the third wheel in the room. She nodded in understanding.

"Elisa, don't apologise. I'm just glad you're alright. I'll leave you two alone and go check on Adam."

Elisa smiled bashfully. "Thanks, mom." She always does know how to read my thoughts…

Diane rose from the chair, leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. She smiled at Goliath before leaving.

Goliath held Elisa's hand gently, yet with a strength that wouldn't be relented for anything. He leaned towards Elisa ever closer until finally Elisa spoke.

"Goliath, there is so much I need to tell you…"

He shook his head knowingly. "No need, my love. I know it all. I remember…"

"You what? You remember?"

He smiled cryptically. "Yes, Elisa. I remember it all."

"Um…such as…?"

"I was shown your grief, the clan's pain," he closed his eyes momentarily when the memory hit him like the steel bar that hit Thailog over the head. Elisa stroked Goliath's hand. "Anubis made a deal with you…"

She was amazed that he remembered, but it was comforting to her that she didn't have to explain what happened to her the last days.

"Oh, Goliath. I don't know what to say. I thought I had lost you. I was a wreck…" She looked down at his hand in hers.

"I know. I was shown your worst moments after my…death. You must understand that I did what I had to. I had to save you from that most horrid fate. You are needed here. You are so important to so many."

Elisa sat up straighter. "And you aren't? Goliath, you are the leader of a whole clan. You have a daughter who looks up to you and needs your guidance, and a whole city to protect. Besides, without you, I was a mess. I know now that I couldn't be here without you." Elisa let another tear roll down.

"You will never have to worry about that again, my love." He took her into his massive arms and embraced her so passionately.

"I missed you more than you'll ever understand, Big Guy."

"I am sorry that you were in so much pain, my Elisa. Forgive me?"

She looked up at him and kissed him gently upon the lips. "Nothing to forgive, babe. Everything is right in the universe now that you and I are together again. And now that you know how much losing you would kill me."

"Yes, Elisa. I will never leave you again. And, come to think of it, I believe you were presented with an offer in this very room before…" He said, trailing off to give Elisa a chance to add to the thought. He was talking about David Xanatos' proposal for her to move into the castle, of course.

"You're right. I have been…"

"You were seriously contemplating it, weren't you?"

"I was. I think I still am, now that I think about it again."

"What were you leaning towards? Yes, or no?" Goliath hoped that it was a yes…

"Well, I mean, I don't have an apartment anymore. I guess I should move into the castle. Would that make you happy, babe?" She smiled coyly. He squeezed her hand in response.

"Greatly, my Elisa." He suddenly thought about what he had been planning for that night. It was still prepared on the highest turret of the castle. This would be the perfect opportunity to spring his surprise on her. He beamed at her and rose from his seat, still holding her hand. She looked at him confusedly.

"What? What's that look about?" She asked, eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Are you well enough to get up? I want to show you something."

She looked down at herself, and the bed, and decided that she was decent enough to be seen by others, and strong enough to get out of bed.

"Um, sure, Goliath. What is this about? You look giddy…" She asked good-humouredly.

"Shh…just come with me."

---

They reached the turret that Goliath called his own nearly before sunrise, with the sun threatening to come up over the horizon. Goliath had his lavender hand over Elisa's eyes to keep the surprise going for as long as possible. When Goliath was satisfied to reveal his surprise, he released her hand and allowed her to see what was prepared for her. She gasped at the sight. Before her, there was a small circular table covered with a white tablecloth. Atop the table, there was a single red rose and a tiny square box. Elisa regarded Goliath, and then approached the table with curiosity. She stepped towards the table, and picked up the rose. She took it to her nose and inhaled its scent. Turning back to Goliath, she smiled.

"What is this, Goliath?" He folded his arms in front of him and smiled.

"Open the box."

She turned back to the table, released the rose, and picked up the box. Elisa drew her attention to the box and cautiously opened it. It was then that her jaw dropped. She saw a platinum engagement ring. She didn't know anything about diamonds, but she was sure it was at least two karats. The round cut diamond glistened in the rising sun. Stunned, she looked at Goliath, whose smile was so genuine and happy. But what was Elisa feeling?

"Elisa, as you may have already guessed, I ask that you be my mate, my wife. Marry me, my love." He asked quietly, yet with a voice full of love and hope. His smile froze when he saw the look Elisa was wearing—one of confusion.

"I…I…" She stammered, indecisively. Elisa turned to see the sun about to rise. She closed the box and struggled to bring any words together in a coherent sentence. Finally, she managed to piece together what she needed to say.

"I need to think about this."

As the words escaped her mouth, Goliath's saddened face was captured as the sun rose over the horizon. Regretfully, Elisa kissed her finger and placed it on Goliath's stone frozen lips before turning and walking back into the castle.

---


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams & Decisions

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_

All comments are most definitely appreciated!

**_Decisions & Dreams_**

_**Sao Miguel, The Azores, Portugal November 2, 1997**_

Manuel Antonio Perreira, one of the top lawyers in all of Ponta Delgada, the capital city of Sao Miguel, sat at his desk, typing. He was working on acting upon the last wishes of one of his biggest clients. Among his clients were a few members of the Dracon family of New York City. He had been one of the Dracon family's lawyers for many years, and had taken care of their financial accounts abroad as well as covered their tracks numerous times when they had done some wrong in Portugal. Now, here he sat, writing a document that was needed to secure part of the final piece of the Dracon estate. Since Anthony Dracon had been killed nearly a year before and Dominic Dracon had died in prison only a few weeks prior, he had to act upon his final wishes, as per his will. Manuel had read and re-read the final will and testament of Dominic Dracon that had been signed in front of him back in July. Manuel remembered the conversation with Dominic when he asked him to witness his revamped will.

"Mr. Perreira, I'm serious. I need to change my will." Dominic had said over the phone.

"But, senhor," Manuel had countered. "We just went over your will a few months ago."

"I know, but I will soon have my grandson or daughter with me. I'm going to fly to New York City in a few days to retrieve him or her, and would like to be assured that the will is complete to my specific requirements."

"Very well, Senhor Dracon. I will be over to your office in a few hours, if that is alright."

"Yes, most definitely."

That day, Manuel Antonio drove in his Peugeot Citroën to Dominic Dracon's private office and brought the new and improved will for him to sign and finalize. He sat before him at his desk, read him all the amendments to the will, and waited for his approval.

"Senhor Dracon, are you sure that you want to sign over your entire fortune to your grandchild?"

"Yes, Mr. Perreira. At least then, when I inevitably die, he or she will be taken care of beyond all of their wildest dreams, and want for nothing."

Manuel turned the page and read the other amendments to the will, and when Dominic agreed, he signed the papers, initialed here and there, and signed again. Manuel remembered Dominic's frail and age-spotted hand worked vigorously to sign everything and initial everywhere he asked him to authenticate the document and legalize it. He remembered thinking how this powerful man in front of him resembled his grandfather's build and stature, but that his own grandfather died when he was only 85, while Dominic was pushing a hundred.

Manuel knew that the Dracons were known as a crime family in America, but in Portugal, they had done minor things, and their cronies were usually guiltier than they were. Manuel had to do his part as the family's lawyer and sign their releases from local jailhouses, and accompany them to court dates, but for the most part, he wasn't really privy to the Dracon business dealings outside of Portugal. So he never really knew where this child came from, or how he got to have a different last name. He decided not to ask, but rather to investigate on his own. The will said exactly what Dominic had requested. It named a sole heir to the fortune—his infant grandson named Adam Maza who lived in America with his mother, the widow Elisa Maza Dracon…

**_Meanwhile, in Manhattan…_**

The sun had risen just twenty minutes before she stepped into the room. Three and a half month old Adam Maza lay in a crib lent by Fox Xanatos in one of the spare bedrooms in the castle. Elisa watched over him protectively, her arms folded in front of her. She watched him sleeping and frowned. She had been given a lot to think about over the next twelve hours, and her decision would effect this sleeping child most of all, she decided. She had been reluctant, she knew, because of this reason alone—she needed to make sure that how her heart told her to answer would be the wisest course of action when thinking about the future of her only son. Adam stirred slightly in his sleep, and sighed so sweetly that Elisa leaned down into the crib, smoothed out his hair and planted a loving kiss upon his cherub-like forehead.

"Tell me what to do, Adam…I need to do right by you, and make the right decision for you, not for me…" Elisa said quietly to her sleeping son. She pulled the cover over him and leaned on the side of the crib rails to gaze at him. "Should I say yes to Goliath? God knows I want to, I've always wanted to…but then you came along, and now it's not only my future I have to consider." She looked around the room. It looked homey, inviting, and yet it was probably the largest spare bedroom in the castle. This would most likely be the room she would choose when moving into the castle. Not only was it within a few steps of the Great hall, but it had already been equipped with an adjoining 4 piece bathroom, a massive window overlooking the city and a king-sized bed. Also, beside the room, there was a slightly smaller room. Elisa had a forethought that this room would be suitable for Adam to move into once he outgrew the crib. This decision to move into the castle was one that had already taken great consideration, but now the idea of marrying—or mating with—Goliath was something that was going to take a great deal more thought. Elisa sat upon the king sized bed and watched the crib, deep in thought. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear someone walking behind her.

"I take it you've decided?"

"What's that?" Elisa asked, turning around to see Fox Xanatos standing behind her. Fox stood in the doorway, smiling.

"I said, I take it that you've decided on how to answer Goliath's proposal. Am I right?"

Elisa shook her head. "Not exactly."

Fox was slightly surprised.

"Really? I would have thought that it would be a no-brainer for you. You've been head over heels for that man—I mean gargoyle—since you met him." Fox stated.

Without taking her eyes off of the crib, Elisa replied, "It's more complicated than that, Fox." She sighed. Their past feuds aside, Elisa knew that Fox would probably be the right person to talk to about her questions. "I have to think about him before thinking about me. You of all people know how that goes."

Fox nodded and walked towards her. She sat down beside Elisa upon the bed. "I do. But I also know that following our hearts usually results in the best interests for our children. I see your point, but think about it. This castle is the safest structure in all of Manhattan. Even the Trump Tower doesn't have the type of security that we have here. David made sure of that when I was pregnant with Alex."

"That's not what I'm worried about, Fox." Elisa hesitated momentarily before continuing. "I…I love Goliath, and nothing would make me happier than to be his, but I have to be sure that this would be best for Adam."

"And why wouldn't it be? I've seen the way he holds him, and the way Adam responds to Goliath. He adores that boy as if he were his own. There's no denying it."

Elisa pulled out the engagement ring from its box in her pocket and showed it to Fox. Fox gasped at the glimmering sight.

"Wow. All David got me was the Eye of Odin…" She said before she giggled. "It's gorgeous."

"I know. I never thought I'd be the type to want to wear a diamond ring, but it's his ring. I mean, I know Xanatos gave it to him, but…"

Fox smirked. "Yes, well, consider it another penance. We owe Goliath and the clan everything we have and more for the safety and protection of our son. Anything he ever wants is his. David told me that he had asked him if he could marry you and move you into the castle. I thought it was cute."

"That sounds like something he'd do." Elisa smiled. Adam began to cry quietly in the crib, and Elisa rose from her seat and picked him up. His cries silenced as she held him in her arms. She looked back at Fox. "My son will need a father, that's for sure. I just don't know if it's wise to make Goliath step into that role."

Fox rose to meet Elisa and Adam. She took Adam's tiny hand and kissed it.

"Listen, Elisa, we've never been the best of friends or anything, and I sure as hell don't try to presume to tell you what to do, or what is best for your life, but I know that he loves you and Adam. What is best for you tends to be what's best for your child, too." She tussled Adam's hair playfully and walked away from Elisa and Adam. She turned at the doorway and said, "You will make the right decision. For both of you."

Elisa looked down at her son who had been watching her in awe for a few moments.

"What is best for you, baby?"

Elisa turned away from Adam and picked up the phone on the bedside table to make some phone calls. After the calls were made, she felt tired and rested upon the comfortable bed. It was there she slept until after sunset.

---

As the sun lowered into the horizon, the gargoyles awoke with a loud cry. Goliath reanimated out of his frozen pose of shock, half expecting to be greeted by Elisa to tell him that she hadn't meant what she said before, and that she wanted to marry him. She wasn't there, nor would she be, he knew. Disheartened, he unfurled his wings, and glided to the lower level of the castle, where the others slept during the day. As he arrived, he saw the looks on the others' faces. They were all, in their own way, excited and relieved to see him.

"Father! I'm so happy to see you!" Angela blurted, embracing him as he approached her. Surprised, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why? What happened?"

"I had a terrible dream. I dreamt that you had perished instead of Thailog in the explosion last night."

Brooklyn and Tachia stepped towards father and daughter. "I had the same sort of dream. I saw pain, anguish, and torment." Tachia said, clinging to her mate. Brooklyn nodded. "Same here. Odd…But it's great to see you, Goliath."

Eosine, Lexington and Hudson were next in conveying the contents of their own dreams.

"Thank the Lord, you are safe!" Eosine praised, walking quickly towards Goliath and the others. "The dream I was given this day was terrible." Lexington and Hudson nodded.

"It can't be a coincidence that we all had the same sort of dream. Goliath, what happened?"

"Yes, lad, you seem to know more than we do." Hudson added. Goliath inhaled deeply before answering.

"Your dreams were accurate. At least for the first time around. Last night's events were originally ended with my death…" He looked around at the confused faces of his clan. "I will explain everything, but first, have you seen Elisa yet this evening?"

The clan shook their heads. Goliath exhaled in disappointment. He wouldn't be surprised if she had left the castle during the day with Adam. Brooklyn then realized that last night was the night Goliath was going to propose that Elisa move into the castle and become his mate.

"I nearly forgot, Goliath. Did you ask Elisa?" Brooklyn asked excitedly.

"Yea! How did things go?" Lexington added, his look just as excited as Brooklyn's, until they both noticed there was a distinct look of sadness in his eyes.

"She…needs to contemplate things first. I am not sure how to proceed now. She seemed so…unsure of things."

Eosine smiled and rested a gentle pink hued hand upon his forearm. "Goliath, do not let that worry you as much as it is. I recall that I made Lexington wait for my answer to him all those years ago." Lexington let out a good-humored snicker.

"Yea, made me sweat it out for nearly a week before she gave me her answer." He turned to Goliath. "Don't worry, Goliath. Elisa loves you."

"Yes, father, give her time." Angela placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He looked down and nodded.

"Perhaps it will be best." He sighed. "I will seek her out after I tell you the story behind your dreams."

---

About an hour later, after the clan had been completely made aware of Anubis' hand in the events that nearly left them without their leader, Goliath excused himself and was going to seek Owen Burnett or David Xanatos, whomever he could find first. Along the way, he heard a baby cry down the corridor. To him, that sounded precisely like Adam's sweet cries. Instinctively, he followed the cries. As they ceased, his keen sense of hearing allowed him to hear the comforting voice of the child's mother. Elisa had been in the building the entire time he'd been awake.

As he entered the room where mother and child were, he noticed that the bed sheets were disheveled and disordered from recent use. He looked up and saw Elisa feeding Adam his bottle with her back turned towards the door. Goliath stood watching the scene as silently as possible. This could be her room, he thought, and I could be helping her with these menial things. I could be that boy's father…

"Why did you wake mommy up, hmm?" Elisa asked the infant in her arms, "You were hungry, that's why, right baby?" She smiled at her son. Sure, being waked from sleep at all hours wasn't fun, but she knew that she would do anything for him, no matter the time or place. She breathed in and a pleasant scent filled her nostrils. The musky scent was all she needed to be alerted of Goliath's presence behind her. It was already after sunset…

Elisa turned to see her love standing in the doorway.

"Hi Goliath." She smiled lovingly to him, which warmed his heart.

"Hello my love. Have you been in the building the entire day?"

Elisa walked around the king sized bed and sat down upon the closest edge to Goliath. She wordlessly motioned for him to take a seat beside her. He did as he was told.

"Yeah, I made a few phone calls to my insurance company and made sure Cagney was alright. Then I really had no where else to go, so I stayed here."

Adam slowed his sucking on the bottle of milk and closed his eyes. Elisa looked down at the angel in her arms and grinned. Goliath never took his eyes off of the two.

"I see."

Feeling his gaze upon her, Elisa felt her cheeks deepen in color, which usually never happened. She placed the bottle on the wooden bedside table, and held Adam carefully to facilitate his burping. She rubbed his back softly until she finally felt his gas. She kissed his forehead and laughed.

"There you go, Adam." She looked at Goliath. "Do you want to hold him?" She asked sweetly. Goliath blinked. "Certainly, Elisa." Gently, he took the child from Elisa's arms and held him as comfortably as if he were a gargoyle hatchling. Elisa smirked, titling her head to one side to get a better view of this heartwarming scene. After a few moments of watching Goliath and Adam, Elisa decided that her decision had finally been confirmed. She cleared her throat, suddenly tense and nervous about what exactly to tell him.

"Goliath," Elisa began. "I'm sorry for last night. I needed time to think about…everything."

Goliath looked up from the child and fixed his gaze upon Elisa dubiously.

"I now understand why you need time. I know that your decision will affect Adam as well. I nearly forgot how important a role parenthood is."

"Hm. I highly doubt that, Goliath. But, yes, he is the main reason." She paused, watching her son. He was nearly falling asleep again. "Do me a favor, Goliath? Can you put him into his crib?" Goliath nodded, rose and walked over to the dark wood crib. As gently as physically possible, he lowered the infant into the crib, pulled the covers over him, and touched his forehead briefly before taking his place beside Elisa again.

"Now, as we were saying, you're right. I have my son's best interests to think about before my own." She said, the tone of her voice showing minimal emotion. This worried Goliath.

"I understand this, my love, which is why I've decided not to pry. I give you as much time as you need to come to your decision." Goliath said almost sadly, his baritone reaching an all-time low.

"Thank you, Goliath. I love you for that." Elisa smirked, digging into her jeans pocket for something. She pulled out the engagement ring box. Goliath's eyes widened at the box. Elisa held the box up to eye level in her open hand. He stared at the box for a few moments before another word was uttered. Elisa opened the box and took the round cut diamond ring out of the box. She let the box fall upon the bed, and held the ring between her index finger and thumb. She then extended the ring to Goliath. Dumbfounded, he stared at it.

"Hold it. I need you to do something else for me." She said with a sudden air of mischief. He did as he was told and held it in his right hand. Elisa smiled reassuringly, as if to tell him not to worry. She reached and took hold of his left hand with her own left.

"Ask me again." She stated simply. Goliath finally caught onto what she was setting up. He exhaled with relief and began.

"This world was new to me three years ago, and I thought that I would never find my place within it, until I met you. My Elisa, you showed me the best parts of the city and of this century. Most of all, you awakened a part of myself I thought long dead—my heart. You mean the world to me. To be without you is to become lifeless. It would make my life complete if you would be my mate, my wife, my soul mate." Elisa smiled sweetly up at him.

"Yes, of course I will, Goliath." She said emotionally. Goliath then placed the ring upon her slender ring finger. Elisa suddenly wrapped her arms around his muscular neck, nearly toppling him over with the strength of her embrace. He lifted Elisa and placed her right in the middle of the king sized bed. He then took a seat beside her, and looked down on her beauty. He brushed a few stray hairs from Elisa's face.

"Sorry I made you suffer like that." Elisa began, but Goliath silenced her gently.

"No apology needed, Elisa. That boy over there deserves the best."

Elisa laughed. "He already has the best. You are going to be the best father to him. I know it."

"I can only hope so, my love."

---

Dominique Destine lay upon her bed in the estate awoke with a start right before sunset. Her transformation being second nature to her, her body told her when to prepare for it, no matter her state of consciousness. She changed into her normal gargoyle form and rubbed her head. What sort of dream did I have? Why is there so much torment in my soul this evening? The memories of Goliath's near death hit her like a ton of bricks, and she gasped at the flood of scenes playing in her memory.

Her associate had been killed in the blast that was meant for that whore, Elisa Maza, and she still hadn't achieved her goals. How was she going to rid Goliath of his human poison? Demona stood up and began pacing back and forth, struggling to deal with the memories of her grief after Goliath's death in her nightmares, and dealing with the fact that Elisa was still alive instead of Thailog. Yes, Thailog was a nuisance that surely was a poison on this earth, but Elisa Maza was more so, at least to Demona. She cursed at her stupidity for thinking that Thailog would actually be able to pull it off. He shared Goliath's DNA, but she had forgotten what he was—an imitation. Once you make a copy of something, the quality decreases dramatically. She hadn't accounted for that.

So what do I do now? How do I remove this whore from his life once and for all? She knew at least her involvement in the plot had not yet been discovered; otherwise she would have been attacked by the Manhattan clan hours ago. This might actually work out in her favour after all…she decided to play up the good Demona routine for just a while longer. She smiled devilishly and walked towards the window. Unfurling her wings, she opened the door to the balcony and leapt off, headed for the Eyrie Building.

The clan was assembled in the Great Hall when Elisa and Goliath came in, obviously grinning about something wonderful. Tachia, who had been reading 'Wuthering Heights', was the first to see them. She turned another page of the book and smiled when she saw them approaching the rest of the clan. She nudged Brooklyn discreetly.

"It appears there is good news to be shared this night, love." She whispered to him. He stopped flipping through the channels on the television and looked up. His beaked face lit up with a smile. It was a long time coming, he thought.

Goliath cleared his throat and waited to get the clan's attention. "Everyone, we have some news we'd like to share with you." He beamed with pride as he held Elisa's small hands in his. "It's the best kind, too." Elisa added, smiling joyfully. "Goliath asked me—"

Before she could continue, Demona came running into the Great Hall. "Goliath! You're safe! And Elisa! You're alright, too! Thank the Dragon!" She exclaimed, rushing towards the couple. Goliath instantly released Elisa's hands as Demona approached. She took him by the shoulders and smiled in a relieved manner.

"I had the most horrible dream last night! All that happened last night…it was terrible!" She acted. It seemed to be working on all but one person in the room. And that person had no idea why she had this gut feeling that she was lying…

"Yes, Demona. We are fine, though we cannot say the same for Thailog." Goliath mentioned.

Demona shook her head. "No matter, Goliath. Thailog was the devil incarnate. He deserved the fate he received. I'm just so relieved that you two are alright." She smiled at Elisa slowly. Elisa didn't buy it.

"Sure, Demona. Whatever you say." She said quietly, rolling her eyes. Elisa was still in her good mood from being proposed to and she didn't really want to start a fight at that particular moment in fear of ruining her wonderful mood. Goliath turned to regard her silently, studying the reaction to Demona's words in her face.

Demona turned to look around the room, but really, she was scoping out the reactions of the rest of the clan's faces. She wanted to gage if they were buying her act. They were.

"Well, Goliath, Detective, I just wanted to ensure that you both were safe. I will be off now." She started walking away from the Great hall when a voice summoned her to return.

"Stay a while, Demona," Elisa said sharply, "Goliath and I have an announcement to make." Demona turned around and hid her surprise well. She replaced that look with one of genuine interest.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Demona. Goliath just proposed to me, and I accepted. I'm going to be his mate." Elisa looked up at Goliath, who smiled contentedly back at her. There suddenly was a roar of cheer that echoed through the castle from the clan. From Demona, however, not a sound came. She stood, barely, watching the happy couple embrace, and then being surrounded by the rest of the clan as they hugged Elisa and shook Goliath's hand. Demona just watched in shocked silence. She decided that her next plan must be put in place before the ceremony takes place. She swallowed her anger and rage, discarded her feeling to have her eyes glow bright red, and smiled at the couple.

"That is…welcome news. Congratulations, Goliath, Detective." She nodded at both. "Now, I'll let you alone to celebrate with your clan." She smiled again, and walked out of the Great hall. She was not stopped this time. The clan watched her leave the Great hall quietly. Once she disappeared, the happy chatter continued. The clan was overjoyed that Elisa accepted Goliath's proposal, and that they would be seeing a lot more of Elisa and Adam now that they would be moving into the castle.

After the celebration of sorts in the Great Hall, Goliath pulled Elisa aside.

"Elisa, why did you act so…pertly with Demona earlier?"

"I remember having a suspicion that she was Thailog's associate. Don't ask me how, but my detective senses were tingling."

Goliath raised an eyebrow. "My love, she seemed genuine, and surely she has no reason to wish us animosity now. Look at all that she has done for the clan and the Labyrinth clan in recent months. She did not have to come here to check on our wellbeing."

She looked skeptical. "I guess, but I still don't trust her. She's always had an ulterior motive to everything she's EVER done. This could just be another one of her schemes to wipe humans off the planet or to kill you. She came too close to killing us all on the night of the hunter's moon. We never DID know what became of that virus…Who knows…" Goliath wrapped his wings gently around Elisa's shoulders, creating a warm and comfortable cocoon around his future mate.

"We gave it to Xanatos that night. He has it hidden in a vault to ensure that no one knows of its existence. There is no way it can be broken into or destroyed. He made sure of that."

Elisa nodded. "I hope so, babe." She relished in the feeling of his wings around her.

"So, when should I move in my charred things?"

---

Manuel Antonio read the paper again and again.

iI, Dominic Michael Dracon, do hereby sign my financial estate entirely to my youngest grandchild upon my death. /i

Manuel had some work to do now. To find this Adam Maza and have his guardian or parent sign the paperwork. After that is done, the child would be a millionaire.

---


	5. Chapter 5 Doubts that Linger

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_

**All comments are most definitely appreciated!**

**_2--The Doubts that Linger_**

**__**

**_November 3, 1997_**

Demona watched as the sun rose over the cityscape of Manhattan, and her daily transformation into Dominique Destine commenced. As painfully as ever, her wings curled up and shrunk into her back, her talons retracted and her blue hued skin converted to a typical Caucasian pink. She didn't even scream when it happened, however. She was still in complete shock over the news that had been thrust upon her only hours ago, plus she was too busy mulling a plan over in her head to really feel the pain of the transformation at all.

As she did every morning, she took a shower soon after the change and dressed in her power suit, ready for her chauffeur to take her to the Nightstone Unlimited building. Towel-drying her hair after her shower, she happened to glance at herself in the large mirror in her room absently. This human form, though weak and pitiful, came in handy from time to time. Her body was curvy, and her chest and backside were proportionate with that of her gargoyle form, she was at least thankful of that. As humans go, she was definitely one of the more attractive ones, if humans were your style. She cursed aloud to no one at all. "Damnit! Humans are obviously HIS style!" She continued to scrutinize herself in the mirror further, trying to remember her gargoyle features that her former mate went crazy over. It hadn't been her fighting ability or even her war-cry, but it was her breasts—at least when they were mating, he was drawn to her chest more than anything. Over her button-down dress shirt, she felt her chest momentarily, wanting to make sure that the majority of the bulk was still there.

_ What a human I have become,_ she thought. _Checking myself out in the mirror. If Goliath could see me now…Blast! That human does not have curves such as these. If he wanted a human, why not have the best of both worlds. I could bear his egg as a gargoyle AND play up to his fantasy in this form. He will come to see that I am still everything he will ever want or need. But how to do it? Killing the whore has obviously failed, unless I outright kill her, and that would most definitely ruin any chance with Goliath, and taint his growing perception of me for the worst. And her suspicions of me must have already been voiced to him, so I cannot do anything to draw further suspicion onto myself now. He trusts her and her judgment…unless I give him a reason not to. That's it! I cannot kill her, so I must destroy his trust in her. I need to find the right way to do it, though._

An evil smile appeared slowly upon Dominique's slender face. It was the smile of someone whose plans were being put together, and who was fairly confident of their success.

--

That morning, as Adam Maza was being watched by Owen Burnett in the castle, Elisa, her parents, and Derek paid a visit to her destroyed apartment and tried to salvage anything that hadn't been blown to bits, or ruined by the water the fire department dosed on the apartment after the blast. To Elisa's relief, most of her sentimental things such as photo albums, CDs, picture frames, and most of Adam's things had escaped the bomb and the subsequent fire that ensued as a result. She put the smaller things in a box, while her father carried the bigger things like Adam's carrier that had been in the kitchen at the time of the blast, and his stroller, which had also been in the main hallway when the bomb went off. Derek helped Peter Maza carry out the main things while Elisa and her mother were left behind in the charred apartment.

To Elisa, the apartment looked as if it had been bombarded by a hurricane. Besides the fact that there was a gaping hole in the wall that used to divide Elisa's bedroom with the living room and the outer wall, there were papers and books and pieces of furniture strewn here and there. There was a strong burnt smell that hung in the air; it had nearly choked them when she first walked into the apartment. Elisa kept reminding herself that these things—this whole apartment, for that matter—were only possessions, and replaceable. Of course she had grown attached to her things, but her two most important treasures were safe at Castle Wyvern.

Elisa bent down and picked up one of her overturned kitchen chairs, set it upon its four legs, and carefully sat down. Her mother did the same and placed her chair beside her daughter.

"Are you alright, dear? I know this must be difficult for you…" Diane began, scanning the room for anything they may have missed.

Elisa sighed, "Yea, but these material things are unimportant in the grand scheme of things."

_ Philosophical thoughts from Elisa?_ Diane thought. _Something must be up…_

"Meaning…?"

"Mom, let's just say that I've been shown what's really important in life. And I have a lot to look forward to." She said cryptically. Diane looked at her, puzzled. Elisa smiled, knowing that her mother needed more clarification. She had to tell her…

"Meaning that—brace yourself, mom—Goliath asked me to move into the castle…and proposed to me. I said yes." Her smile lit up the otherwise dingy and soot-covered room, along with the ring that Diane now realized had been on her finger the entire day. She grabbed Elisa's left hand, examined the three-carat ring as if to make sure she wasn't just playing a practical joke, and grinned.

"That is wonderful, Elisa!" Her mother exclaimed, but then hesitated. "But do gargoyles even get married?"

Elisa giggled slightly. "Well, no, they are mated in a ceremony surrounded by the clan. It won't be the wedding you hoped for me, but I will be marrying the love of my life."

"Elisa, as long as you're happy, that is the wedding I hoped for you to have."

Just then, Derek and Peter Maza came back into the apartment to grab the remaining items to be salvaged. Derek exhaled tiredly and pointed to two boxes near the door. "Are these the last of the boxes?"

"Yep, thanks guys." Elisa replied, smiling sweetly at her father and little brother. As they left the room, she turned back to her mother. "Now, mom, help me find a way to tell dad. I'm sure he won't react as nicely as you just did…"

"Not necessarily, dear. He likes Goliath, no doubt about it. Sure, he would have preferred that you brought home a nice police officer, but he knows that Goliath would protect you and treat you like a queen, and that's all he wants for you, human or gargoyle." Elisa frowned at her mother's mention of bringing home a police officer instead of Goliath…it nearly happened with Jason. That reminded her that she should see him again soon. Well, at least after she was situated properly in the castle…

"I hope so…I wanted to tell them both when they come back up for us."

"Not to worry, Elisa. They'll be just as happy as I am for you." She smiled and hugged her eldest daughter tightly.

---

That night, as the sun set, Elisa was pulling up to the Eyrie Building. She was in the most amazing mood. She actually caught herself whistling to the radio as she drove, and when she saw the Eyrie Building, she nearly sighed. Get a hold of yourself, Maza, she scolded silently. You'd think you were a teenager in love or something…well, at least that's what it feels like.

She had called ahead, and gotten one of David Xanatos' security guards to help her bring her things to the upper level where the castle began and the Eyrie Building ended.

The guard helped her bring the boxes up until the elevator up to the castle. She smiled gratefully at him, and allowed the elevator door to close, ushering her to her new home.

As the elevator dinged to signify Elisa's final destination, she smiled serenely. This really did feel like home to her.

The clan had already awoken by the time the elevator brought Elisa into the Great Hall. Elisa was greeted by Hudson and Bronx. Hudson smiled and rose from his recliner to help her with the boxes. Though she didn't have many boxes, those that she did bring were heavy, and she pushed them along with her foot until Hudson reached her. He effortlessly bent down, stacked three of them, and lifted them.

"Lass, where would ya like me to bring these?" He asked good-naturedly. Elisa smiled and motioned towards the hallway where her chosen room was with her head.

"This way. Follow me. Thanks."

Hudson, followed by a cheerful Bronx, followed Elisa towards the room she had picked for her and her son to live in.

"Everyone on patrol tonight?" She asked Hudson. He nodded. "Aye, lass." A hint of mischief twinkled in his experienced eye.

As they approached her room, she heard her son cooing. Relieved, she quickened her pace to get to her son. Elisa turned the corner to get to the room, and was happily surprised to see Goliath holding Adam tenderly in his strong arms.

"Hello, love. Adam, your mother is here, just as I promised you." Goliath smiled a rare, yet content smile at Elisa, and then looked down to see Adam's curious eyes focused upon him. Elisa dropped the boxes she had been carrying near the wall and walked towards her two favourite men, who had been standing a few feet from the doorway.

"Hi, Adam. Hi, Big Guy." She leaned over and kissed her son on the forehead and then kissed Goliath's hand in turn. She turned back to Hudson. "Thanks again for helping me bring this stuff in, Hudson."

"'Tis nothing, Elisa." He waved and turned, walking out of the room.

Goliath couldn't help but look down at Elisa's left hand to ensure she was still wearing his ring. Elisa noticed this—how could she not? Placing a reassuring hand upon his forearm, she whispered, "This is never coming off my finger, babe. Never." In response, Goliath bent down and pressed his lips against Elisa's, sealing his relief and joy with a kiss. The kiss could have lasted all night, were it not for Adam's cries suddenly. The kiss broken, Elisa reached for Adam and pulled him close to her, trying to decipher what sort of cry he was composing. It was a 'hungry' cry, Elisa gathered, and she sat down at the edge of the bed and rocked him gently for a few moments. Scanning the room, she saw the diaper bag near the door. Without having to be asked, Goliath knew exactly what she was going to ask of him, and walked over to it and brought it to her. She searched the bag briefly before pulling out a small jar of baby food and a spoon. After handing the bag to Elisa, Goliath took a seat beside her on the bed and watched this, almost like he was taking notes.

She fed her son the carrot flavoured baby food, and when he wouldn't have any more, tightly sealed the jar and tossed it aside to position her son to burp. Once that was done, she placed him on the bed, surrounded by pillows so that he wouldn't move around a great deal. She turned back to Goliath.

"You sure you're ready for midnight feedings and diaper changes? Especially when I go back to work in a few months?" She asked Goliath, one eyebrow raised.

"I believe I am. I have a wonderful teacher, so I am not worried." He said, leaning toward his love and suddenly drawing her close to him, catching Elisa off-guard slightly. Relaxing again, Elisa laughed.

"Good." She suddenly had a wistful look in her eye. "Goliath, I'm so happy with the way things are right now. I am going to marry the love of my life, and my son will have a father he can be proud of and who can protect him."

"It joys me to hear that, my love." He replied, touching Elisa's lovely face.

"We do have one question to resolve, though. When should we get married…or mated?"

Goliath apparently hadn't thought of that, because he had a look of confusion on his face.

"I would not wish to postpone the ceremony for more than a few months. I want you to be mine sooner rather than later."

Elisa pondered the idea briefly before her eyes began twinkling with excitement.

"So how about New Year's Eve? Right after midnight. It's less than two months away." Elisa asked happily.

"Why that night in particular?"

"Well, it'll symbolize a new beginning for me and my son, and for us," Elisa emphasized the 'us' by squeezing his hand.

"What do you think, babe?"

"As you wish, my love. We should let the clan know then…I know Angela would like to help plan things for us…"

This made Elisa smile. "That's fine, Big Guy. She's got an eye for those kinds of things."

Goliath rose from his spot on the bed and extended a hand to his love. She took it and rose. He spread his wings, and pulled Elisa close to him, covering her with his protective wings.

"You have made me happy beyond all words, Elisa." Elisa rested her head against his massive chest. She felt safe, protected, in this stance. She knew she'd never be hurt again…

"I'm glad, Goliath, because you have made my life complete. I love you." She added, looking up at him. Goliath planted a gentle kiss upon the top of her head.

"And I, you, my Elisa."

--

**November 4, 1997**

The next evening, Elisa arranged her new room, down the hall from the gargoyles main living room, the Great Hall, to her specific liking. It was perfect for her, now that she thought about it. Not only was it neutrally painted, but it was large enough for Adam's new crib and change table (her mother had purchased them that afternoon) and a king-sized bed comfortably. Also, she had a white dresser and vanity placed at opposite corners of the room. The best feature of the room, she decided, was the fact that the large and private bathroom was just steps away from her bed, and included a Jacuzzi-style bathtub, with luxurious water jets positioned just at the right spots. Elisa knew those water jets would come in most handy after she returned to work in the New Year. She wasn't looking forward to going back only because it meant that she'd be leaving Adam for extended periods of time, but otherwise, she would be thrilled to return.

Another great benefit to the location of her room had to be the distance to the kitchen. It was only a minute or so away, so whenever she needed to cook, she didn't have to inconvenience Owen or any other staff member—she could just do it herself.

That afternoon hadn't been very eventful for Elisa, save for her having to go to the post office and purchase a P.O box number to have all her mail forwarded to. She then returned back her room, and proceeded to call all the government offices to change her address and request for replacement cards where needed.

She certainly didn't want anyone knowing that she was living under an ex-con's roof, though she knew it would eventually surface. For now, it didn't matter. She and Adam were comfortable, safe, and things were perfect.

When the sun set that evening, Elisa carried Adam into the Great Hall and sat upon the large sofa, awaiting the gargoyle's awakening.

The first to walk into the Great Hall, as usual, was Hudson, followed closely by Bronx. Upon seeing Elisa and Adam, Bronx happily began barking and bounding towards them. He jumped up playfully at Elisa and licked her hand. She patted his head with a free hand.

"Hey, Bronx." She smiled. Adam recognized the watchdog and extended his hand to Bronx, but Elisa pulled his hand back, only because Bronx might hurt Adam unintentionally. "Maybe when you're a bit older, Adam…" She joked, still patting Bronx on the head. Other voices could be heard as more gargoyles entered the Great Hall. Eosine and Lexington entered the room, smiling at each other.

"Hi, Elisa!" Eosine called as she approached mother and child. "How were things today? Did you get a lot done in your room?"

"I did, actually. It's our home now," Elisa commented happily. "It looks great, too. You should go see it when you have the chance." She suggested to Eosine and Lexington. Lex smiled.

"Sounds good, Elisa. Tonight is our night off of patrols, so we'll check it out after dinner."

Elisa nodded. "So who's on patrol?"

Eosine laughed. "Everyone else, except for Hudson and Bronx. Goliath is just handing out assignments outside." Eosine knew Elisa's question had nothing to do with the others, and everything to do with Goliath. Her thoughts were validated when Elisa's expression grew pleased at the mention of Goliath's presence outside.

"Oh, that's good then. I guess you guys know that we've already decided upon a date for the wedding—er, I mean the mating ceremony, then?" Elisa corrected herself, but Hudson, who couldn't have helped but to overhear, waved off her correction.

"Lass, it will be a combination of both traditions. You can call it whatever ya wish, but either name will suit it just fine." He smiled a grandfatherly smile at Elisa.

"I think so, too," Eosine added. "Lexington, Tachia, Brook and I happen to have been to a few gargoyle mating ceremonies and a few more human weddings in our days as time travelers, and I must say that I rather envy human traditions of marriage. They are so grand and gorgeous when compared to the simplicity of a traditional gargoyle ceremony."

"Sometimes simple is better, Eos," Lexington commented, "Take Angela and Broadway's ceremony last summer. And our own ceremony, love. It was very intimate, and was good enough for us…I mean, if that's what you want, Elisa…" Lexington corrected his thoughts. Elisa patted his shoulder.

"I know, Lex. But you know me—I've never enjoyed being the center of attention, and to be the cause of such a spectacle…"

"But what a beautiful spectacle you'd be, my love." Goliath interjected as he approached the group. Elisa's eyes lit up wonderfully, as though she was seeing Goliath for the first time in ages. The others shifted away from Elisa so that Goliath had ample space to embrace his fiancée. He extended his wings and pulled Elisa and Adam towards him, covering them with his wings gently. Elisa inhaled his aromatic scent and sighed as he released her and her son. Goliath then looked down at Adam and kissed his tiny forehead. Adam giggled quietly at Goliath's kiss.

"I'll go make some dinner in the kitchen. Consider it my present to you guys for allowing me to live here." Elisa mused.

"This has always been your home just as much as it has been ours, my love." Goliath commented, holding Elisa's free hand with gentle strength. Elisa grinned contentedly at her soon-to-be-mate and led the others to the kitchen.

After the remaining clan members had eaten Elisa's signature steaks, (and ensured there were leftovers for Brooklyn, Tachia, Angela and especially Broadway) they assembled again in the Great Hall to talk in further detail about the ceremony. As they were getting into it, Brooklyn and the others arrived back from the patrol. Angela entered, smiling as she saw her father and Elisa sitting among the others. Hudson sat upon his favourite recliner, holding little Adam as he slept peacefully in his arms.

"Good evening, Elisa!"

"Hi Angela. We have some news that may interest you."

Angela smiled in anticipation. "You've picked the date for the ceremony?"

"Um, yea. How did you know that?" Elisa asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

"You were discussing the ceremony while we were arriving, and we have super hearing…" Angela said proudly. "So, when is it?"

"We have decided that New Year's Eve is the best date to join together." Goliath announced with a hint of pride in his voice. He looked at Elisa, who smiled happily at the announcement, though she had heard it a few times that night. The idea that she was marrying Goliath made her happier than anything that had ever been imaginable to her, and it showed. Everyone around the couple knew it—the joy felt by the two of them was unmistakable, and was uncontrollable. And, most of all, it was contagious. All the couples of the Manhattan clan rejoiced over their leader finally finding love again, and it warmed their own hearts to see him love so fully, so completely. It also made their relationships with their mates stronger and happier, as the sight of pure love tends to do to anyone who bears witness to it.

Angela, not immune to the smiles surrounding her, also smiled. "That's wonderful, Elisa! I must help you plan!"

Elisa raised her hand. "You'll all help plan this, for sure."

--

**_November 6, 1997_**

Elisa woke that afternoon with an idea in her head that she needed a gargoyle's approval and help with for the wedding. That gargoyle, she decided instantly, couldn't be Goliath. This idea of hers was going to be a wedding gift of sorts to him, and it was going to be a surprise. But who to ask…?

That evening, Elisa sat discussing the latest gossip from the force that Matt had shared with her later that afternoon with the rest of the clan. Matt had been assigned to the Gargoyle Task Force, but hadn't been extremely happy about it. Chavez was breathing down his neck to get some vital information on the workings of the gargoyles, and that meant badgering a host of witnesses who had been saved by the gargoyles. Sure, Matt enjoyed playing good cop, bad cop, but usually, he was the good cop.

"Matt's a good negotiator. He'll come around to the job once he realizes he's good at it." Lexington stated hopefully.

"Yea, I hope so, otherwise, I've got one pissed off partner to deal with when I return from mat leave." Elisa smirked. She looked around the clan, who were all laughing at her comment. She glanced towards Adam, who was being held by Goliath. He was sleeping lightly, Elisa noticed. Other conversations emerged among the different clan members at that point. Elisa made eye contact with Brooklyn, and knew immediately he would be the best gargoyle to ask to help her…

She rose from her seat. Goliath and Angela were the only ones to notice this. They looked at each other confusedly.

"Hey, Brook," Elisa said, "Can I talk to you for a second over here?" Elisa asked, pointing to the hallway near the Great Hall. Brook smiled, and nodded.

"Sure." He walked over to Elisa and cocked his head.

"What's up?" Brooklyn retorted, once they were out of the clan's earshot.

"I need you to help me with something for the ceremony. But you can't tell anyone. Not even Tachia…"

Brooklyn thought about this momentarily before nodding.

"Um, I guess. Sure, Elisa. Anything I can do to help…what is this about…?"

"What do you suppose that was about, Father?" Angela asked Goliath, watching the hallway for any sign that Elisa and Brooklyn were returning from their private meeting.

"I have no idea." Goliath replied, just as dumbfounded as his daughter was about the matter.

Just then, Adam began stirring, and then, without warning, began belting out a terribly loud and tormented cry; he was famished. Elisa heard the cries and looked down at her wristwatch, lecturing herself.

"Maza, you're getting sloppy," She looked at Brooklyn, and motioned for him to follow her back towards the others.

"We'll have to talk about this later. But thanks, Brook."

He smiled and nodded as he walked back towards Tachia's side. Once at her side, he kissed her cheek sweetly and allowed her to continue whatever conversation she had been carrying on with Eosine when he left.

Elisa hurried over to Goliath and Adam. Goliath was trying to calm the boy down without any luck. Elisa picked Adam up from his more than capable arms.

"Sorry, babe. He's used to his feeding right now, and all this talk made me lose track of the time."

"It is no problem, Elisa." Goliath said, still half-wondering what was so important that she couldn't speak to Brooklyn amongst the rest of the clan. But he put the idea out of his mind once he realized that Elisa might need some help in feeding Adam. And Goliath required some much-needed practice doing that, so he tagged along.

--

**_November 10, 1997_**

Elisa and Adam stood in the courtyard of the castle, waiting for the clan to awaken that evening. When they did, a more alert Adam cooed happily. He was already starting to know that when he heard the roars of the clan, it meant that they would awaken momentarily. Elisa held her son tightly to her, and watched as the clan woke, one by one, shedding their stone skin for another day. As they each stepped down from their ledges, they smiled at Elisa, and cloaked their wings. Brooklyn and Tachia stepped down from their ledge together, hand in hand. Once Brooklyn saw Elisa standing there, he released Tachia's hand and walked quickly towards Elisa.

"Hey. How's it going?" He asked casually, knowing that Tachia was only a few steps behind him.

Elisa smiled coyly. "I read over what you wrote for me. Thanks. I'm practicing it before I go to sleep. I should have it down pat soon." Tachia finally reached them, and placed her hands upon her hips playfully.

"If I didn't know any better, I could swear you two were courting!" She laughed good-naturedly, then turned and walked towards the castle, leaving Elisa and Brooklyn alone again. They continued their hushed discussion, far away from the others.

Angela remained upon her ledge, watching the two of them. Broadway noticed her staring, and grabbed her hand. "What's going on over there?"

"I don't know." Angela replied cryptically. Broadway's eyes narrowed upon the visage of his mate. "Angela, what are you thinking?"

She shook her head. "That this is weird. They were never very close. Why, suddenly, are they always talking in hushed tones? And, why did they disappear together last night for an hour and a half?"

"Didn't you tell me that Goliath already asked her, and she said she wasn't with Brooklyn?"

She exhaled, annoyed. "Yes, she said she was running some errands with her parents, and Brooklyn told Tachia that he went for a glide, but…something is not right about this."

Broadway couldn't believe what Angela was insinuating. "Angela! I've known Brooklyn all my life, and Elisa was my best friend for a long time, too. They would never do something like…that!"

Angela shook her head. "You're right, of course, Broadway, but…I don't know…"

Angela suddenly realized that she had a prior engagement, and shook her head. "I have promised Mother that I would go visit her tonight."

Broadway made a face of disapproval. "Do you really have to tonight?"

"Don't worry, Broadway. I'll be home long before sunrise. I promise, dear." Broadway nodded in resignation. She kissed him tenderly on the lips, and turned to look towards the city.

The clan no longer seemed to mind that Angela wanted to visit her mother, as Demona had proven herself worthy of Angela's affections and visits over the previous few months. Even Goliath himself had to admit that Demona had changed even a little, if not completely. Elisa, on the other hand, was still a bit suspicious of Demona's intentions. She felt that she would never fully trust Demona, though the rest of the clan apparently had.

"Ok, but be careful!" Broadway called to out to Angela. An 'I will' could be heard faintly, accompanied by the distinct sound of wings snapping open and catching the breeze.

--

**_Destine Manor, 11:15pm_**

Demona stood upon her balcony, staring into the starry night, hoping to see the outline of her daughter coming towards her. She finally saw Angela approaching and grinned happily at the sight.

"Daughter, I thought you wouldn't come tonight."

Angela shook her head. "Mother, I promised I would come. I'm sorry I'm late."

"That's alright, Angela. How has your evening been?"

"Uneventful. Patrol last night was less exciting than usual…"

_ Goliath still endangers our daughter's life by sending her and the others on patrol to guard this pathetic little city,_ Demona thought bitterly. She used all the power she had not to allow this sudden frustration to show on her face. It worked, because Angela's complexion remained happy.

"I see." Demona knew this next question might spark a set of accusations from her daughter, but she was ready for whatever accusations she might encounter…

"And how are Goliath and the detective's plans coming for the ceremony?"

Angela beamed at this subject. "It is still in it's preliminary stages, but they have at least set a date."

"Oh?" Demona asked, trying not to look too excited by the news she wanted to hear.

"Yes. They have decided upon having the ceremony on New Year's Eve, right after midnight. Oh, mother, it is so exciting!"

"Yes, it is quite exciting, Angela. How wonderful for them. How are the others taking this news?"

Angela was instantly distracted by something. Demona noticed all too clearly.

"Angela? What is wrong?" She asked, snapping Angela out of her thoughts.

"Oh, nothing, Mother. I was just thinking about something strange that happened today…well, it's been happening a lot lately."

"What's that, Angela? Tell me."

Angela hesitated slightly before relaying her thoughts to her mother.

"It's Elisa and Brooklyn. They have been acting quite strangely over the last week."

"How so?" Demona was intrigued by this. Could this development be what she needed to make her plan work?

"First, they talk a lot more alone lately. They leave the room together, and they are always smiling at each other. And then, just last night, they disappeared for an hour and a half together. They gave Goliath and Tachia stories, but I…I have doubts about their stories."

"That is odd indeed, but, daughter, do not rush to such conclusions. There must be a simple explanation for these things. Give it some time, Angela."

Angela nodded slowly. "Perhaps you're right, Mother."

Though her demeanor remained neutral, within Demona, joy was mounting, and her plan instantly required attention...**NOW**.

"My dear, I am so sorry to do this to you, but I must make a business call to Australia. It's something that couldn't wait until morning. I hope you understand…"

Angela looked a bit disappointed, but otherwise alright. "Oh, that's alright, Mother. Broadway actually wanted me home early tonight anyway," She turned towards her mother. "It was nice to see you, Mother. Perhaps next week we can meet?"

Demona smiled genuinely at her daughter. She'd just have to understand that her plans were to bring their family back together again. Tonight was just another sacrifice.

_It would be all worth it once Goliath realized the error of his misguided ways with that human…_

"Yes, Angela. That would be wonderful. Thank you for coming." Mother and daughter embraced and Angela left, while Demona walked back into the house to sit down and contemplate what needed to be done to ruin Elisa's image to Goliath.

--

**_November 15, 1997, 3:01pm_**

Elisa drove to the post office to check her P.O box for any new mail. She opened the box with her key and peered inside. There were a few random mailings—Publisher's Clearing House advising her that she will win $1 Million dollars if she acted today, a reminder from her mechanic to get the oil changed on her beloved Ford Fairlane sooner, rather than later, and an oddly shaped manila envelope, addressed to Mrs. Elisa Maza Dracon. Elisa's pulse suddenly raced as she read her name placed in the same sentence as that horrid name, Dracon. She closed the box and walked out of the post office and back to her car. Sitting down, she took a second look at the manila envelope. It looked like it was sent to her old address, the apartment that blew up on Halloween, and then was re-routed to her P.O box soon afterward. The post mark was from Portugal. This bit of news made Elisa begin to shake with anxiety. Who would she be receiving mail from in Portugal, and why would they address her as Mrs. Dracon?

She tore open the envelope, and found a letter written by hand on legal letterhead. It stated the letter was from a law firm in Ponta Delgada on the island Elisa was held captive on, Sao Miguel, Portugal.

The very circular writing read:

**_"Dear Mrs. Elisa Maza Dracon,_**

**_I am Manuel Antonio Perreira, the Dracon family lawyer. I have been given specific instructions to seek you out and advise you that your son is now the sole heir to the Dracon family fortune. Unfortunately, due to the sensitivity of this information, this matter cannot be discussed over the phone, so it would be beneficial if you would come to Sao Miguel to sign the appropriate documentation. Please contact my offices to book an appointment. This matter must be settled as soon as physically possible. Warm regards, Manuel Antonio Perreira."_**

Elisa dropped the letter to the floor of the car and stared out of the windshield, completely shocked at receiving such a letter, and yet, knowing that she'd have to fly to Portugal to settle the matter, one way or another.


	6. Chapter 6: Inheritance

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_

All comments are most definitely appreciated!

* * *

**_3—Inheritance_**

_**November 15, 1997**_

****

Elisa arrived back at the Eyrie building that afternoon, letter from Portugal in hand, anxious to speak with Goliath about this odd news, but sunset was a few hours away still. She felt she couldn't wait that long.

When she reached her room, she sat upon the bed and grabbed the telephone. She instantly began dialing her parent's house. After a few rings, the answering machine came on.

"Hello, you've reached Diane and Peter. We aren't available—"

Elisa hung up without leaving a message. Pausing to think for a split second, she grabbed the telephone receiver again and dialed Derek and Maggie's number. It rang and rang and rang.

Exhaling, she replaced the phone upon its cradle. One final person to call.

She picked up the receiver once again and began dialing.

"Detective Bluestone."

"Hey Matt. Ya busy? Want to come by the Eyrie?"

---

Dominique's business day was over, and her chauffeur drove her home to her estate. Though she had meetings and business strategies to go over all day, and managed to finish all the work she had assigned herself for the day, her mind was racing over the information her daughter had unknowingly given her.

"The detective whore is acting out of character. Though I doubt she is being unfaithful, her suspicious behaviour will prove to my advantage," Dominique thought aloud as she stepped through the foyer and closed the door behind her. Slipping off her four inch red pumps and allowing them to fall where they may, she padded towards the winding staircase that led to her basement. She unbuttoned her blouse slowly, in pace with every other step until she was in her basement. She never had visitors, so she never felt the need to play up the pretence that the basement was useful to her. It was Spartan in decoration—rather, there was none. The only pieces of furniture to be found there was a large black leather sofa and an incredibly large ancient-looking bookcase, spanning three walls. None of the books on the bookcase were less than three hundred years old, and most of them covered the subject matter of witchcraft, sorcery, and ancient paganism.

As Dominique walked towards the bookcase, she stripped herself of the blouse and deposited it upon the floor, and then proceeded to unzip the skirt she had worn all day and made it share the same fate the blouse had experienced.

She was preparing herself for the transformation which would occur in a few hours. She approached the bookcase and pulled a specific book out by its spine. Instantly, the wall behind the bookcase shifted sideways to reveal a secret corridor. Smiling, Dominique stepped through and allowed the bookcase to revert to its original position.

Behind the bookcase, there was a single pedestal, upon which an ancient book lay open to a page roughly at its beginning. It was the Cryptatae Magnus, the book in which she had found the spell that bound Elisa to her bed Halloween night, and had nearly caused Goliath's death in the process. Surely there was a spell that she needed in its pages to capitalize on Maza's odd behaviour these last few nights. Ever since Angela had told her about the doubts in her head, Demona's waking moments, and indeed her dreams, were filled with ways to exploit these news and make them work to her advantage. She gazed at the book, flipped through its pages a few times until she reached a section which was named i"Dolatus et Lacrimatuum"/i, and smiled when she translated it. "Causing pain and tears…perfect…"

---

**_Meanwhile, at the Eyrie Building…_**

"Elisa, you're lucky I'm on call today. Chavez has been on my ass about the Task force reports," Matt said, following Elisa to the Great Hall. "Not to mention that there have been more and more sightings of gargoyles across the globe lately." Elisa stopped walking with her son in her arms mid-step when she heard this bit of news and turned to face Matt.

"What!" Elisa demanded, trying as much as possible not to raise her voice to make sure she didn't disturb Adam, who seemed to be admiring Elisa's burgundy long-sleeve v neck sweater, and pulling at it curiously.

"Yep, it's true," Matt confirmed, "That includes all those places that you told me you visited on your world tour. Japan, Guatemala, the works. It appears the gargoyles are beginning to follow in the clan's footsteps—er, well, not feet, I mean, um…what are they called—?" Matt trailed off in his own thought.

"Not good." Elisa wore a worried expression upon her countenance.

Matt shook his head. "Actually, Elisa, according to initial reports, the sightings have mainly been on the gargoyles terms."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that generally, the reports have been called in because the gargoyles have prevented a crime, or saved someone. They've been compliments rather than complaints."

"Hmm…" Elisa murmured, looking down at her son in her arms. Matt smirked.

"Elisa, this is a good thing. They want to be seen, and I guess this is a better way than any to be seen; while doing what they do best." Elisa nodded, but still slightly perturbed by the information relayed to her. Meanwhile, as the wheels in Elisa's head were working at full-speed, Matt watched Adam as he sat comfortably in his mother's arms. He looked about intently, and stared a lot more when he saw the familiar red haired detective. Matt took little Adam out of Elisa's arms and swooped him into the air playfully.

"Your Uncle Matt missed you, buddy!" Matt exclaimed happily, causing Adam to giggle (as much as a four month old child giggles). Matt laughed, and looked at Elisa, who smiled at the two of them.

"Ok, Elisa. Enough about that Gargoyle Task Force crap. What did you need advice about?" Matt asked. Elisa pulled out a folded letter from her pocket, unfolded it and showed it to Matt.

"This. It's a letter from the Dracon family lawyer in Portugal. Dominic died in jail a month ago, and he willed all his fortune to Adam." Matt's jaw dropped instantly. "Whoa."

"Yea, I know. The lawyer asks for me to go there to settle things. I don't know if I should. I mean, that's money that I have no interest in. Especially since it's the dirtiest money known to mankind."

"Hmm. I see your point. But it would provide for Adam—"

"Adam is provided for enough without needing Dracon money. I don't want anything to do with that family again." Elisa snapped back.

Matt, still playing devil's advocate, raised a free hand in protest. "I know, Elisa, but think about it this way, then: that money could be put to good use here." Elisa's countenance turned thoughtful. She furrowed her brows and put her hand under her chin in thought.

"You know, you could be right."

---

As the sun set, ending another chilly autumn day, Elisa stood with Matt and Adam, waiting for the gargoyles to awaken. The chill in the air was near the freezing point, so Adam was bundled up in a light blue toque, mittens, scarf, and thick winter coat, but Elisa and Matt were only dressed in warm sweaters.

When they woke, Brooklyn and Tachia went on patrol, while Hudson, Bronx, Angela and Broadway walked inside. Goliath walked slowly with Lexington and Eosine. As they approached the entrance to the castle, and saw the trio awaiting them, their pace sped up slightly. Goliath smiled at them and took Adam into his arms.

"Hello Elisa, Matt."

"Hey Goliath, Lex, Eosine. Let's go inside! It's **COLD** out here!"

"Yes, you are not properly dressed, my love. I wouldn't want you to get sick…" Goliath said, looking Elisa over intently.

"I'm fine, babe. But let's go inside now." Elisa smiled.

Once inside, Goliath hugged Elisa tenderly before asking what brought Matt up to visit them.

"I needed his advice on something, and, well, you were sleeping…" She said a bit embarrassed that she couldn't wait three hours to discuss the matter with him first. Goliath didn't worry too much about it, because he didn't make a big deal of it.

"Oh? What is it, Elisa?"

She pulled out the letter again and handed it to him. He took a few moments to read it over carefully before looking confusedly at Elisa.

"Are you going to go?"

"Should I? Like I told Matt, I don't want this money. Adam sure as hell doesn't need it, and I am definitely not planning on telling him he's the son of a mob boss that had me kidnapped and forced me to…" She gulped, trying to avoid saying what Tony Dracon had forced upon her. Though it had been nearly a year since the kidnapping, Elisa was still tormented by the visions, nightmares from time to time. She especially remembered his voice. And, unfortunately, seeing Adam was a constant reminder of who she hated. It was a good thing that Adam took mostly after her, because otherwise, Elisa was sure that she would have gone mad soon after his birth just by looking at him. His blue-black hair and tanned skin made up for the fact that he clearly had the Dracon nose: down turned and slightly pointed.

Goliath put a hand on her shoulder. "We know, Elisa. It seems to me that this lawyer still wishes for you to go there, at least to resolve this issue for better or worse."

"Yea, that's what it sounded like to me, too." She sighed, looking at her son, still in Goliath's arms. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I should. At least to tell him where to shove that money."

"Elisa, maybe you might wanna consider what I said," Matt interjected, "I mean, hey, it's there, and it's legally Adam's. He can do with it what he wants. At least, maybe he should be given that option." Matt shrugged, as if to say, 'it's just my opinion…' Elisa looked thoughtfully at Goliath.

"We need to get Xanatos' plane. I need you there with me, Big Guy."

---

Hours later, Xanatos' private plane, flown by a random pilot since Fox and David had other pressing business to attend to, flew over the Atlantic Ocean on its way to the capital of the Azores, Sao Miguel, carrying a detective and her fiancé, a 7 foot tall lavender giant named Goliath…

---

**_November 17, 1997_**

The sun was just about to set in the Azores when the small jet touched down at the airport in Ponta Delgada. The pilot announced the landing, and did as David had told him: stay in the cockpit and do not speak with any of the passengers unless they go and speak with you. Elisa made sure that the plane had landed in a secluded area, so that she and Goliath could glide around the area. Undoubtedly, the office where Mr. Perreira worked would be closed by now, so Elisa would have to wait until morning, but that didn't bother her.

She hadn't been able to sleep on the plane with all the worry about what this trip might hold for her. Goliath saw this just by looking at her—she was exhausted to say the least. He decided to take her to a clearing that he remembered from his first journey to the island a year earlier. Wordlessly, Goliath picked Elisa up in his embrace, and searched for a high point to take off from. He noticed a hill in the distance. Concealed by the darkness of the night, the couple moved swiftly until they reached the hill. Goliath spread his wings and allowed the currents of wind to carry him and his love to their destination.

---

"Where are we?" Elisa asked him when he brought her to the ground. It was an empty field, covered by tall grass, apparently left behind by grazing cattle.

"When we came here to rescue you a year ago, I passed this field, and thought of you. I wished to bring you here some day."

"Why?" Elisa asked, trying not to sound rude about it. I never wanted to come back to this country again, she thought. Why would you want to bring me here?

"Because it was peaceful, and at dusk, it was a wondrous sight to behold. I knew that after your ordeal, you'd never wish to return to this country, but I wanted to perhaps show you that there is beauty here. Just because you suffered here does not mean that you should hate this country…"

Elisa smiled at his ability to read her thoughts. "You are incredible." She looked around her for the first time since they arrived in the clearing. There were trees here and there, but they gathered mainly where Goliath and Elisa found themselves. They were surrounded by nature, and the trees in a rural part of the island. No street lights, no traffic noise, no urban mayhem disrupted this scene. The stars were so clearly visible that they seemed unreal. The temperature was mild—definitely warmer than it was in New York City right about now—and the breeze was light but welcome, continuously blowing through the trees and tall grass around them.

"And you're right. This was exactly what I needed…"

---

Elisa awoke next to the warm stone statue of her beloved, frozen in a thinker's pose, looking over her sleeping frame. He wore a serene smile upon his regal face and it remained there as the sun rose above the horizon. Elisa grinned sweetly, kissed his forehead, and reached down to grab her favourite red bomber jacket from the ground. She had used it as a makeshift pillow by crumpling it up into a not-so-circular ball. Though her neck ached slightly from the improper positioning of her head overnight, she couldn't help but smile at the sunrise she witnessed. She admired the fact that she scarcely heard car horns and the regular noises she would be likely to hearing at this time in the morning in Manhattan. It was a peaceful, quiet and above all else, a nature-filled scene. She could see in the distance that a farmer had just released his cows into a pasture to graze. In another squared plot of farmland, Elisa saw the distinct image of goats and sheep, and heard the accompanying noises that those animals made, which projected all the way across the fields between Elisa and the sheep. She inhaled the fresh country air deeply, stretching out the last of her built-up sleep tension, and began walking toward the city of Ponta Delgada to meet the Dracon family lawyer.

---

"Hi, um…do you speak English?" Elisa asked the female secretary doubtfully. The young secretary smiled politely at the question, as if she had heard it time and again.

"Yes, I do. Do you have an appointment?" The woman asked in a distinctly European accent. It made the Portuguese girl sound almost British.

"Oh," Elisa began, realizing that the letter had specifically said to make an appointment. In her haste to get the matter resolved, she had completely forgotten to do so… "Well, not really. I kind of forgot to…" Elisa felt in her pockets for the letter from Mr. Perreira, and was rewarded. She pulled out the folded paper, and handed it to the secretary. "I'm sorry, but I've come all the way from New York City to see Mr. Perreira, and—"

The secretary took the letter from Elisa's hand, unfolded it, instantly recognized the letterhead, and smiled again at Elisa once she had read Elisa's name as the addressee. This case was a well-known one in the office, and the water-cooler buzz had kept it a hot topic for weeks. Even the secretary had heard of how an infant child living in Manhattan was the sole heir to a large crime fortune, and that Manuel was handling the estate. The office even had bets going to see how long Manuel would have to wait before his letter was answered—the secretary had won. Nearly three weeks had passed since he had sent it, and she had been optimistic that it would be answered right away. This visit made Teresa the secretary 1000 escudos richer, which was the equivalent of about $10 US…

"Not a problem. I don't think he has any appointments right now." Looking down at a screen before her, and scrolling with the mouse, she nodded and returned her glance at Elisa. "Yes, he's free right now, actually. His office is the second on the left. You may go right in. I'll let him know you are here." The secretary pointed down the short hall. Elisa nodded her thanks and began walking while the secretary picked up the phone to announce to Manuel that Elisa had arrived.

_"Senhor Perreira, Sra. Maza está aqui para te-vir. Ela vem a seu escritório agora. Está bem?"_ (_Mr. Perreira, Ms. Maza is here to see you. She's going in to see you now. Is that ok?"_)

Manuel gasped at this briefly. _"Meu deus. Ela não chamou para marcar um appontamento…mais sim, Teresa, está bem. Obrigado." (My God, she didn't make an appointment…but yes, Teresa, that's fine. Thank you.)_

As he replaced the receiver upon its cradle, a faint knocking was heard at his office door. He ran his hand through his light brown hair, trying to gain some sort of composure. This was going to be a strange case to deal with, seeing as how he had been brought up to speed with the situation surrounding Elisa's impregnation. Silently wishing he had been given a few more moments of preparation, he rose from his desk, smoothed out his grey suit jacket and tie, and greeted the unwilling Dracon widow.

"Hello, Mr. Perreira. I'm Elisa Maza. I—"

"Yes, Ms. Maza. I know. Thank you so much for coming." He smiled genuinely, shaking her hand. He motioned at a chair in front of his desk and walked to his filing cabinet to pull out her file. Elisa sat down, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She really hadn't yet decided what she was going to do about this inheritance Adam would be entitled to, though she had received a lot of good advice. Ultimately, it would all fall upon this one meeting with the lawyer to make her decision. She rubbed her hands together nervously as she sat silent in her chair.

"Oh, and Ms. Maza," Manuel said, while still rummaging through his files, "Please call me Manuel." Elisa smiled.

"Sure. Thanks." Elisa replied, a bit more at ease than before, though still worried about what exactly was going to transgress at this meeting.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Manuel found the file he desired to find, and sat back at his desk with the file folder open. He steepled his hands together, and looked most seriously at Elisa.

"First, I apologize for the letter. I know it was a bit…abrupt, but I wanted to show you how important this matter was."

Elisa raised a hand in protest. "I understand the importance completely. My question is, what exactly is involved here? I mean, I'm a police officer, sworn to uphold the law."

Manuel raised an eyebrow. "I assure you, this transaction is completely legitimate, and one-hundred percent legal—"

"I don't mean that," Elisa cut him off. "What I mean is that I know where the Dracon fortune comes from. I don't think I want that money to touch my son. I also don't think it's morally right to take that money, knowing how many lives obtaining that money has destroyed."

Manuel, not being devoid of compassion, nodded his comprehension of Elisa's objection.

"I understand, Ms. Maza, but Mr. Dominic Dracon's will specifically indicated his final wish of the fortune to be signed to his grandson upon his death. He made sure I wrote the will carefully. This was a selfless act."

Elisa scoffed. "I doubt that very much, Manuel. Dominic Dracon was nothing more than a criminal, as was Tony. His willing all this money to my son was just a trick to ensure the family name lives on through Adam. That must be one of the stipulations, right?" Elisa asked. Manuel shook his head.

"Actually, Ms. Maza, Mr. Dracon never mentioned anything about that. He was under the assumption that he was going to go to New York to retrieve his grandson. That was never a question, I imagine."

Elisa shook her head at the sheer confidence Dominic had at his success at taking her son. Come to think of it, Elisa thought, he almost had succeeded. If it weren't for the gargoyles' perseverance, she would have lost her son that night. She shuddered slightly at the thought.

Manuel flipped the page in front of him, read momentarily, and resumed his train of thought. "Now, the only thing that was written into the will that could be amended was the age at which Adam would claim the fortune," Manuel said, pulling the drawer to his desk open, and retrieving a legal sized notepad. He took a pen off his desk set and began writing upon the notepad. He looked up again at Elisa and continued, "Is it alright with you if we legalize the age now?"

"You mean there is no way around this? Adam has to inherit this dirty money?"

Manuel furrowed his brow and cocked his head at Elisa in confusion of sorts. "Ms. Maza, I understand that you are a policewoman and that the Dracons did do some illegal things in the States and here in Sao Miguel, but that doesn't mean that perhaps this money can't go towards something positive when Adam receives it. This money will secure his future for years afterwards."

Elisa thought quickly to the baby shower gift that Fox had presented her with: a college fund for Adam. He doesn't need Dracon's money…then again, he already has somewhat tainted ex-con money… she shuddered again.

"I suppose…" Elisa answered finally. Manuel nodded.

"And, yes, this money has been willed to him. I must abide by Mr. Dracon's wishes."

He gave her no option. Elisa exhaled in annoyance at the situation, but closed her eyes to make sure it didn't seem as if she was angry at Manuel. She reminded herself he was only doing his job. She shook her head and looked at the Portuguese lawyer.

"Alright. Fine. What age is usually appropriate? 20?"

"Actually, in my experience, eighteen usually is the age of choice because the child is legally an adult in most countries, and he or she usually is heading off to post-secondary school, and this time is the most crucial time in terms of debt."

Elisa pondered this briefly before nodding her agreement. "Ok, where do I sign?"

---

**_Sunset, the country side near Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Portugal_**

****

Goliath broke free from his stone shell with a booming cry, expelling the stone skin violently. He was greeted almost immediately by his human love, Elisa. She appeared tired, but otherwise well.

"My love, how did the meeting with the lawyer go?"

"He gave me no choice. Adam has to inherit this fortune." She didn't look entirely happy about that. Goliath stepped closer to Elisa and wrapped his wings around her in a warm and welcome embrace.

"I take it this was not the outcome you wished for?"

"No, it's not that. Even from beyond the grave, Tony and Dominic are toying with me. Dominic left me no alternative action. The will made it next to impossible for me to refuse that money."

"Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise." Goliath said, trying to turn a bad situation into a good one.

"Goliath, I wanted to keep Adam's father's identity a secret from him and this inheritance is going to make it really hard to do that. When he's 18, he'll know that his father was involved in organized crime. I wanted to shelter him from that, but the origin of this money can't be kept a secret forever. He'll ask why he inherited so much money. My son will figure it out."

Goliath hugged Elisa a bit tighter in response. "We will deal with that question when the time comes. I'm sure that he will understand why you did not wish to tell him about his father when the truth is revealed." Elisa just sighed.

"Oh Goliath, I knew Dracon was rich, but the lawyer told me just how rich, and I nearly fell over," She sighed again at the thought of all those millions of dollars. "I just hope Adam will know what to do with all of it, you know?"

Goliath kissed Elisa's forehead and scooped her up into his massive arms. He unfurled his wings and prepared to take off from the hill towards the plane. "I'm sure he will, my love. I am sure that he will not let that go to his head. He will, after all, have the finest upbringing."

Elisa looked at her lavender champion and hooked her arm around his neck. "He will have the finest father, that's for sure." She smiled lovingly at Goliath and planted a tender kiss upon his lips. After this, they glided towards the jet to return back to New York City.

-  
**_November 18, 1997, 2:12pm_**

****

Elisa arrived back at the Eyrie Building feeling jet-lagged and exhausted. A six and a half hour flight usually did that to a person. Once Elisa exited the plane, she asked to have one of Xanatos' crewmen bring the statue of Goliath back to the parapets while she went to check on Adam at her mother's house. Once there, she let her parents know about what had transpired in Portugal. Ever the police officer, Peter Maza wasn't impressed, but Elisa assured him that it was necessary, and that the will had made it hard to refuse the inheritance.

---

"You don't need anything from that family." Peter said begrudgingly. Elisa nodded, smirked and rested her hand on her father's shoulder.

"That's exactly what I said, but I will make sure that it doesn't get to his head. I would tell you how much money it is, but you'd both probably faint when you hear it." Elisa joked. She had obviously had a few more hours to get used to the idea than her parents. Just then, Elisa heard the sweet cries of her son in the next room. Diane was preparing him to go with Elisa, but had awoken him and this made him particularly cranky. His cries bounced off the walls, reverberating down the hall and straight to Elisa's ears.

Elisa walked briskly into the guest room, which had been converted into Adam's guest room, complete with Elisa's old crib, and a change table that had been Derek's. Elisa waved her mother away from Adam good-naturedly.

"That's alright, Mom. I'll take him. Thanks." She smiled. Diane handed the infant to her daughter and paused to watch the two together. Sometimes it amazed her that she was a grandmother, and that Elisa was the first one to have a child. Out of her three children, she would have imagined that Derek would be the first to be married and have children, only because of Elisa's hectic schedule at the precinct. Her life, for the past three years, had been nothing but her job. She had grown into a workaholic at the station, and even Peter hadn't been that bad. Now, here she was, engaged—true, her fiancé was a little unorthodox, but she was engaged nonetheless—and a mother. Boy, had Diane's impressions been wrong three years ago…

"Hi baby. Shhhh….momma's here. We're going to go home, yes we are." Elisa cooed as she slipped his tiny arms into his jacket, wrapped a short scarf around his neck loosely and fit the light blue toque upon his cherub head. She then propped him up a bit, picked him up and took him into the next room where his carrier was.

Diane walked over to Peter and slipped her arm through his lovingly while the two of them silently watched Elisa's motherly manner towards Adam.

"Our daughter is full of surprises." Diane said quietly to her husband, speaking to the motherly demeanor that just sprang out of Elisa. Peter simply nodded his agreement.

Elisa strapped Adam into his carrier securely, and picked it up. "Well, guys, thanks for watching him today."

"It was no problem, Elisa. We love taking care of him. Anytime you need us to watch him, let us know." Peter replied happily, pulling Adam's toque up a bit to plant a kiss on his head.

"Yes, Elisa. Anytime, darling. We love you." Diane chimed, opening the door for Elisa since her hands were full. Elisa stepped outside, said another goodbye, and then walked to her car. Peter and Diane Maza watched.

"Do you think that money is a bad thing, Peter?"

He sighed as he watched his daughter and grandson pulling out of the driveway in the Fairlane.

"Let's just say that I have a bad feeling about it, Diane."

---

Stay tuned for episode 4!

Tima


	7. Chapter 7 Demona's Revenge Pt1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_

All comments are appreciated! Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. My excuse is valid, I swear!! University!! AHHH!!

**_4—Demona's Revenge Pt. 1_**

_**November 26, 1997, 9:06 pm**_

Winter had come slightly ahead of schedule in Manhattan, and a light dusting of snow covered the landmarks that made New York City famous. Even at night, the city was busy, full of life, even though the snow seemed to make citizens take things a bit more slowly than before. Elisa Maza was no exception to this. Zooming towards the Eyrie Building in her Ford Fairlane, she hurried—as carefully as possible—because she had her two favourite men waiting for her.  
Though she had once looked upon this building with contempt and frustration, seeing it now as her home was refreshing and comforting. Knowing she was merely yards away from Goliath while she slept or took care of her son was something she had always hoped for. Now that it was a reality, Elisa was content.

Elisa parked her car in the underground parking lot David Xanatos had specified for her. It was a spot closest to the elevator up, and was marked as 'reserved'. This parking lot, David had told her, was for Xanacorp employees who worked in the building. She was given the executive parking spot. Damn right, she chuckled to herself. I've reached the rank of executive. After all that bastard has done to me in the past, I think I deserve at least that. She began remembering the first year she had met the gargoyles, that when she went to visit them, Xanatos was not nearly as accommodating as this. She had to park her beloved Fairlane outside, in the visitor parking, which was nearly a ten minute walk from the building. On frigid nights, the distance made it feel like an hour, not to mention scraping ice and snow off her car afterwards was never pleasant.

She walked to the passenger side door of the car, opened it, and pulled out a plastic bag filled with knick knacks and things she had picked up for her son. She closed the door, and locked it using her key.

When the elevator brought Elisa to the castle section of the building, she stepped out and saw Goliath sitting on the leather sofa, feeding Adam his bottle of formula. The contrast between the mass of muscle and the tiny child made Elisa stifle a laugh, but it was such a touching scene that it was easy to stifle it. She walked towards them slowly, trying not to disturb the two of them.

"Evening, lass," Hudson called out, as he sat on his favourite recliner, smiling. Bronx trotted beside Elisa and sniffed happily. Elisa waved at Hudson and patted Bronx on the head. "Hi, Hudson. Hi Big Guy," Elisa said, rounding the corner of the sofa to face Goliath and her son. He looked up at her, his eyes full of warmth.

"Hello my love. Adam was hungry," He began. Elisa shook her head.

"Thank you for taking care of him, Goliath." She said, taking a seat beside Goliath on the leather sofa. She brushed the back of her hand upon Adam's cheek.

"My errands ran longer than I expected, and I missed my baby," She smiled at her son. Adam's eyes instantly lit up as he recognized his mother. He stopped feeding and pushed the bottle out of his mouth. Elisa took this as a sign that he wanted attention from her, so she motioned for Goliath to hand him to her. Once Adam was in her arms, she made him burp, and then cradled her in her arms until his eyelids began dropping. Elisa sighed.

"I love it when he's like this," She mused. "So much easier to deal with than when he's tired and cranky." She laughed. "So, who's on patrol tonight?"

"Angela, Broadway, Brooklyn and Tachia. Eosine and Lexington are watching a movie at the Cineplex."

"When are the patrollers supposed to be back?" Elisa asked, causing Goliath to raise an eyebrow.

"They should be returning shortly. Why?"

"Uh, oh, no reason, babe. Just needed to talk to Brook about something."

"You two seem awfully close lately."

Elisa blushed, something Goliath knew she hardly ever did, which caused him to furrow his brow in confusion. Seeing this look, Elisa glanced at Adam, who was fast asleep, and stood up quickly with him in her arms.

"I have to put Adam down. I'll be right back Goliath." With that, she turned and took her son into her bedroom.

As she walked towards her bedroom, she stared silently at her son in her arms, thinking about that look of apprehension that Goliath had just thrown her way. She couldn't tell him that Brooklyn was helping her with a surprise for their wedding ceremony. If she did, it would be too easy for him to guess what the surprise was that Brooklyn was helping her with. She had avoided the subject for a few weeks, and she hated lying to Goliath more than anything, but Elisa put it out of her mind, telling herself that he'd forgive her once the surprise was revealed on New Year's Eve. She sighed and shook her head. "Yea, that'll work…" She said aloud with a smile. "He's going to love it."

She leaned over the crib and deposited her sleeping son in it, pulling the covers over his fragile form gently. She leaned in further and planted a loving kiss upon his brow. "Good night, my little angel." With that, she turned off the lamp beside the crib, checked the baby monitor to ensure it was on and functional, and walked out of the room, leaving the door ajar slightly.  
By the time she returned to Goliath's side, his look of confusion had evaporated, and he opened his arms to embrace his love. Elisa smiled, and accepted this gesture whole heartedly.

"I am sorry for questioning you just now, My Elisa," Goliath said, still wrapped up in the embrace.

"That's alright, Goliath," She replied sweetly, relishing in the moment. She drew in a breath to begin some form of explanation when Brooklyn, Tachia, Broadway and Angela came walking into the Great Hall tiredly.

"Hi," Angela began, seeing her father and soon to be step-mother hugging.

Goliath released Elisa hesitantly, and turned to greet his clan. "Hello Daughter. How was patrol this evening?"

"We stopped a few muggings. Nothing major tonight." Broadway answered.

"I'm glad to see the city is getting along fine without me on the beat," Elisa commented jokingly. Brooklyn and Tachia walked over to the television, ready to sit and relax. The clan had generally been doing more of that lately since the birth of Adam and the return to their ancestral home. They didn't complain.

As Brooklyn sat down, he noticeably remembered something quite pressing. Looking over at Tachia, and then glancing at Elisa behind the sofa briefly, he said, "I'll be right back. I forgot something outside." With that, he kissed Tachia's forehead, silently rose and walked briskly out of the Great Hall. Tachia seemed to take that explanation at face value and proceeded to grab the remote control and change the channel to The Learning Channel, unperturbed.

Elisa noticed this, but said and did nothing. She stood beside Goliath, watching as Brooklyn exited the Great Hall. Angela also noticed this, and noticed Elisa watching Brooklyn leave. Angela's mind raced with questions. She turned to her father and watched his look. He, too, had noticed that Elisa had watched Brooklyn leaving the Great Hall, and his eyes became clouded with worry…or was that jealousy?

Elisa looked down at her watch and cleared her throat. "I nearly forgot. I have to do Adam's laundry. I'll be back in a half hour, ok babe?" It wasn't a question, it was a statement. She kissed Goliath's cheek and walked towards her bedroom. Angela watched this and walked over to her father. Broadway followed, worried about his mate and his father-in-law.

"Father, are you alright?"

"I am concerned about Elisa's behaviour lately."

"I am too, Father. Perhaps we should see where she is going to make sure—" Goliath cut her off, raising a taloned hand in protest. His face was sullen as he spoke.

"**_I_** shall go"  
---  
_**Meanwhile, at the Destine Manor…**_

Demona, now back in her natural form, flipped again and again through the ancient text, the Cryptatae Magnus, to find the perfect spell. She needed one that could not be traced back to her, or that could be found out as a spell in the first place. The actions of those under the spell must seem genuine, real, and definitely not magically induced. She had been searching through the book day and night, some nights unable to rest with this impending thought burning a hole in her mind. She needed to stop the wedding ceremony before it took place. Once Goliath said those vows, Demona knew he was lost to her forever. She knew how seriously Goliath took vows of this nature. He was still most honourable. Blast it, she thought. Were it not for his sense of loyalty and honour, Demona knew she could lure him away from Maza at any time, even after the ceremony. But once he promised all that a gargoyle promises in a traditional mating ceremony, especially a gargoyle like Goliath, he would be lost.

Under a new sub-heading, she found the perfect spell, the "Capitaeus Corpus", which translated to "To take a body". As Demona read the description of the spell, her eyes lit up with excitement and revenge. With this spell, both Elisa and Brooklyn's reputations would be destroyed. "At last," Demona said aloud. "I will finally make her pay! Brooklyn's demise will be icing on this very well-rewarded cake," She read the spell a few times over, and read where the author of the spell had put a kind of author's note: The spell must be performed when both the victim and the perpetrator are in close proximity. Since Demona had no idea what Elisa or Brooklyn were doing at that very moment, she decided to go see for herself. She ripped the pages out of the book, folded them and shoved them down her halter top; a most safe place for them to be. She walked to the sliding door to the balcony adjoining her bedroom and took off towards the Eyrie Building.

_**Meanwhile, in Guatemala, just before sunset**_

"Oh, thank you so very much for saving us, strangers!" A grateful farmer exclaimed, clutching desperately onto his young son's hand. The little Guatemalan boy peered up at his new heroes from behind his fathers slightly trembling legs. There was a red giant with feathered wings, shoulder length white hair and a serpent-like torso where legs would normally be. Beside him stood a deep blue coloured goddess with long legs, blue-black hair and a slightly swollen belly. The boy knew that this meant she was pregnant, comparing her look to that of his mother years earlier when she was pregnant with his little brother, Juan. The little boy stared admiringly at both creatures, and noticed that they both wore necklaces around their necks. He had never seen jewels like those before. They glittered with a blue hue.

The crimson creature raised a hand in protest of the praise. "That is what gargoyles do, amigo. We protect others. That is our nature." The blue female nodded magnanimously, "Yes. Those poachers were killing the forest. And they were about to hurt you. We could not let them cause any harm to either of you."

"Gracias, uh…what name do we give to our saviours?"

The pregnant female replied. "I am Obsidiana, and this is my mate, Zafiro." The farmer nodded happily.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet a gargoyle, isn't it, Carlos? We have heard much about your kind on the news lately,"

Zafiro regarded his mate with surprise. "What?"

"It is true," The little boy began timidly, "I saw it on the satellite. In Japan, the gargoyles there helped many people. And in England, there was a problem with street gangs that some gargoyles there helped to stop."

"Hmm," Zafiro began. "This is welcome news, amigos. We gargoyles have often been shunned by humans, even though we seek to protect them," Zafiro stated, turning to his mate, "Perhaps this is the turning point we needed to begin sharing this world with the humans."

"Yes, Zafiro. This is wonderful to hear."

"But how are you awake right now? The sun has not yet set. I heard on the satellite that gargoyles turn to stone when the sun is up." The little boy wondered.

"That is true, amigo, but these special amulets we wear," Zafiro lifted the pendant slightly, "they protect us from the sun, and keep us awake during the day"  
The little boy was fascinated by Zafiro's brief explanation of their amulets. The wonder multiplied in his eyes as a thought occurred to him.

"Papa," the boy began, peering at his father. "Would it be alright if Zafiro and Obsidiana come over for dinner tonight?"

The father nodded delightedly. "Si, amigos! Come! Maria is making enchiladas tonight."

Zafiro glanced at his pregnant mate. To his look of questioning, Obsidiana looked back at Zafiro and replied, "It would be an honour to come to dinner with you." The farmer and his son happily led the way, while Zafiro and Obsidiana discussed the dangers of being invited, and accepting, an invitation to a stranger's dinner table. Obsidiana was arguing the pros, and Zafiro, the cons.

"Zafiro, I know this look. Do not worry, and do not be so stubborn. This will be pleasant, and our hatchling needs to eat too, you know."

"That is not the concern I was troubling myself over, Obsidiana. These farmers are most grateful, and we would never be in any danger from them. You are due to deliver the hatchling in a few months, and I would prefer to have you close to the pyramid. I do not want to put you or our child in danger."

Obsidiana smiled knowingly. "My mate, do not worry. We take care of each other, and I promise you that nothing will happen to our hatchling before he or she is born," She rested her hand upon Zafiro's crimson cheek, warming his stern look. "Let us go to the farmer's home and dine with them now. Do not worry about me or our hatchling, Zafiro."

The slick red gargoyle smiled. "Very well, Obsidiana. I can never refuse your wishes."

_**Back at the Castle…**_

Outside the Great Hall, around a darker and more secluded corner of the castle's ledges, Brooklyn was reading what he had written for Elisa to recite at the ceremony. He wrote about 10 different versions of them, realising that he hadn't gotten the wording exactly right in each one. This version, however, was different. They were the exact words that he had used at his mating ceremony about 5 years earlier when he and Tachia—and Lex and Eosine, for that matter—were back in 1795. He knew that these particular words were just the right combination of romantic and traditional words that made Tachia cry on their mating ceremony evening, and Brooklyn was happy to help Elisa show Goliath that she cared about the clan's traditions just as much as he did.

Tachia hadn't been asking him about his and Elisa's seemingly newly-found friendship as much as Goliath had, perhaps because Tachia was more comfortable with Brooklyn being friends with Elisa because of all that he and Lex had told Tachia and Eosine about her while they were back in the past. Either way, on the odd occasion that she did make mention of it, Brooklyn felt awful about lying to his mate. He loved her more than anything, and lying was something his rookery mothers always warned against. 'Lies," they would say, "beget more lies. The more you lie, the more you need to lie to cover up the lies." Well, he assured himself, this isn't a bad lie. It's only to help out a good friend and make her mating ceremony a complete success. And after tonight, his lying would be done, because once he handed this piece of paper to Elisa and told her how to go about reading it, and where to put emphasis, their sneaking around would not be needed any longer. Brooklyn smiled to himself at the thought, and continued reading what he had written.

Just then, he heard a throat clearing around the corner. It was Elisa. She had taken the hint and met him outside as he had hoped. She came around the corner and smiled.

"Hey, Brook," She greeted.

"Hey. I'm finally done rewriting this thing. This is the final edition, I swear." He laughed, unaware that a large lavender gargoyle had just arrived and was listening in around the corner.

"Aww, great. Let me read this," Elisa said happily, accepting the paper from him. There was a bit of silence as Elisa read.

"I meant every word." Brooklyn stated. Elisa looked up at him and nodded.

"I know you did." She said quietly. After she had finished reading, she smiled again at Brooklyn.

"This is so sweet. Thank you so much, Brook."

"No problem, Elisa. It was my pleasure. It made me remember how I still feel after all these years."

Around the corner, Goliath was fuming. He had never thought it possible, but Elisa and Brooklyn had confirmed his deepest darkest fears with the few words they uttered shrouded in the darkness of the castles' ledge. His second in command and his love were secretly meeting, and secretly betraying him. He used all the self control he possessed not to scream out and attack Brooklyn. A bit of common sense that still hung on by a thread told him to keep quiet and perhaps things weren't exactly as they were appearing to be. He kept his composure and waited for Elisa and Brooklyn to continue their candid conversation.

Unbeknownst to them all, Demona arrived just at that point. Luckily for her, she glided just high enough that they could not hear her wings rustling in the wind currents, or see her form from where they stood. Demona landed on a parapet that gave her a perfect view of the situation, and that was just within earshot. Also, she could see a dark figure standing around the corner from where her enemies were talking. It was unmistakably Goliath. This is too perfect, Demona thought. It couldn't be more convenient if she had created the situation herself.

"I hope that works for me." Elisa replied, folding the paper and pushing it into her back pocket.

"It will," Brooklyn replied, "Just make sure you read it a few more times." He said smiling.

Demona set to work immediately. She pulled out the spell from her halter top and began chanting quietly, pointing to the two intended victims.

"_ Aer enim volat et cum omnibus creaturis officia sua exercet, et firmamentum eum sustinet, ac aer in viribus istius pascitur_."

An airy black smoke emanated from Demona's finger as she chanted and began racing towards Brooklyn and Elisa. As the smoke drew closer to them, it became transparent and invisible, blending in with the air around them. There was a blast of wind that didn't let up for some time. It was an after-effect of the spell. Demona finished her incantation, and watched for any sign from the two that the spell had succeeded.

Elisa blinked rapidly as she inhaled a breath of the dirty air surrounding them. Shaking her head, she nearly toppled over with sudden weakness and because of the strength of the wind. Brooklyn noticed this, and gripped her arm before she really lost her balance.

"You ok?"

"No, I suddenly feel really sleepy. I think I'm going to say good night and go to bed." She said, beginning to walk unsteadily towards the door to the castle. Brooklyn followed her briefly.

"You sure you don't need help to your room?" He asked, watching her carefully.

She turned back to him, with her hair blowing wildly in the sudden gust of wind that had been stirred up with Demona's spell. "No, that's fine. Thanks Brook. Thanks for this, too." She patted her back pocket, meaning the piece of paper it held within it.

"No problem." He called, standing in the same spot until Elisa was no longer visible. Suddenly, he didn't feel so great either. He decided to wait outside until his own case of strangeness dissipated before returning to Tachia inside.

Goliath had heard the whole discourse, and was worried about Elisa, too, regardless of the fact that he now strongly suspected that she and Brooklyn were having a secret affair. He adored her, and that meant that he would always give her the benefit of a doubt before rushing to such conclusions, no matter how the evidence presented itself. He needed to confront her about this secret meeting, of course. If she confessed, they would have to decide what was to be done from there. If she didn't, things would get a bit more tricky for all three of them. But the confrontation would have to wait until she was feeling better. Either way, Goliath walked into the castle after Elisa to make sure she made it back to her bed safely.

Demona watched as Goliath walked into the castle slowly. She couldn't help but laugh nearly out loud at her luck. Not only had she found Brooklyn and Elisa together, and Goliath had been suspicious enough to follow her outside, but all that they were saying and doing made it seem as if they were having an affair. This was deliciously perfect, and the spell would add exponentially to that deliciousness for Demona. She silently spread her wings and glided down towards the secluded area Brooklyn was still standing near. Demona hid in the same corner in which Goliath had been standing, and watched as the spell took hold of Brooklyn. It was unmistakeable.

Brooklyn continued to stand in the exact same spot that he had been standing in when he had said good night to Elisa. He was worried about her. But it was more than that. She was feeling sick, but he couldn't shake the image of her hair blowing in the wind. It looked wild, untamed. I bet that's how it feels to be with her, he thought. Instantly, he caught himself. "What the HELL did I just think?!" Brooklyn said aloud, making Demona nearly choke with laughter. "I can't think of Elisa like that…but it's so easy…" His mind brought him the mental picture of Elisa, wearing next to nothing at all, standing before him asking him to take her to bed. Horrified of where his mind was taking him, he shook his head, but this time, the mental picture grew more vivid, and racier. Kissing, touching, holding, and finally, making love. Brooklyn was completely under Demona's spell. She could tell because she could see a bulge under his loincloth that hadn't been there five seconds earlier. Like a gargoyle possessed, Brooklyn's eyes grew glazed over, but wide. He began walking deliberately, slowly, methodically, towards the door Elisa had used to get into the castle. Once he disappeared through the door, Demona began stalking behind Brooklyn as quietly as possible and as far back as possible to avoid detection. She had to see this for herself.

---

"Goliath! We were just telling Tachia about the movie we just saw. Would you like to hear about it?" Lexington cried, as he saw Goliath entering the Great Hall. Goliath thought it rude to tell him that he was busy, so he allowed Lexington to tell him a synopsis of the movie he and his mate had just watched. As Lexington told him the overview, Goliath couldn't help but worry about Elisa.

---

Elisa collapsed upon the bed, not even stopping to change her clothes or to get under the covers. She did, however, take the paper Brooklyn had given her out of her back pocket and set it upon the nightstand. Her apparent exhaustion had gotten the better of her, and she just wanted to sleep. Even if she wanted to check up on Adam as he slept in the crib just beside her bed, she couldn't gather the strength necessary to lift herself from her lying position. What the hell is wrong with me all of a sudden, she questioned quietly. Within a few seconds, she was fast asleep.

The next moment, she was awakened by the touch of Goliath's hand upon her cheek.

"Mmm…Goliath…" She opened her eyes and was shocked to see Brooklyn's red beak where she was sure Goliath's handsome face would have been.

"Brook?! What are you doing?"

"Something I've always wanted to do…" Brooklyn began. Elisa tried to sit up in bed, the adrenaline of the shock causing all exhaustion to escape her instantly, but Brooklyn pinned her down. She stared at him incredulously. There was something in his eyes that she had never seen before. He seemed dazed, but in perfect condition to kill her if he wanted to, though she doubted that was his intention. He gave her a look filled with lust and want. Oh god, Elisa thought. What the hell is happening? And where is Goliath?

"Brook, what the hell has gotten into you?!"

"Don't deny that you've always wanted me, too. Why else would you ask for my help over the others?"

Elisa couldn't move. She was trapped. The force of strength Brooklyn had over her was too much, and he was holding her arms down so much that it was becoming painful.

"Brook, stop it! You're hurting my arms now!" She cried out. It only added to the apparent pleasure on his face.

"Stop struggling. You are going to like this just as much as I will." He then buried his face between her neck and shoulder, kissing her roughly. He then proceeded to position himself on top of her frame. His tail pinned her lower half down. Suddenly, Elisa screamed out. It was a scared scream she thought she'd never need to utter. After it escaped her lips, Adam began crying loudly too.

---

"And that's the plot! Man! What a movie! You and Elisa should really go see it! Jim Carrey is fantastic in it!"

"Yes, Goliath, I would recommend it for sure," Eosine added. "Liar Liar was a great movie indeed. Very funny…"

Goliath nodded. "It sounds like a movie that would interest both of us."

Eosine looked around, her pink skin as rosy as ever. "Speaking of which, where is Elisa? I haven't yet seen her this evening."

Goliath turned towards the hallway. "In her room. I will—"

Elisa's terrified scream echoed through the castle, bringing all the gargoyle's attentions to the same spot: the bedroom down the hall. Goliath was the first to run to the bedroom, followed closely by Tachia and then the others.

In the shadows, Demona stood watching Brooklyn struggling to keep the detective down, and then watching as Goliath and the others came to her rescue.

Goliath stood in the doorway of Elisa's bedroom, watching as Brooklyn nuzzled Elisa's neck. By now, tears formed in her eyes. She saw him and the rest of the clan standing in the doorway and was instantly relieved.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Goliath bellowed, causing Brooklyn to turn around. Tachia joined Goliath and saw her mate on top of the human woman. She gasped at the sight and ran off without even asking what was happening as Goliath had. She had seen enough to know what was going on. As soon as Tachia took off down the hall, Goliath made to lunge at Brooklyn. With great agility, Brooklyn jumped off of Elisa and smashed through the window and away from Goliath, leaving all eyes on Elisa.

Goliath looked down almost disgustedly at Elisa, who was now close to sobbing. This incident brought back terrible memories of Tony Dracon and the ordeal that followed. She rose from the bed and went to hug Goliath, but he resisted her touch. Indifferently, he looked at Angela, who was staring at Elisa with a shocked expression.

"Get Adam out of here." Angela did as she was ordered, and quickly walked over, picked up the crying child and walked out of the room.

"And the rest of you, leave us." Goliath said without looking over his shoulder. They also did as they were told. Once they left, Goliath kept his gaze upon her.

"Did you think I wouldn't eventually know about this??" Goliath began with a sudden burst of anger, causing Elisa to flinch. She wasn't expecting that sort of reaction.

"What? Know about what? He just came on to me!" She defended. It seemed to have no effect on him. His eyes glowed bright white with anger.

"You dare to lie to me?!" He asked. "After all that we have been through, and all that we have been planning for?!"

"Goliath! He was the one who came in here and started—"

"I will deal with that traitor at a later time. Now, I am addressing your faithlessness."

"Faithlessness?! Listen to yourself, Goliath! I would NEVER do that to you! You know that! I know what you saw is bad—"

"It is more than bad. This proves what I've been suspecting for weeks now." He looked around and saw the piece of paper that Brooklyn had handed to Elisa. He grabbed it from the table and began reading aloud. "I have denied my feelings for far too long…I want you to be mine for all eternity… By the Dragon and the North Star, I swear my love for you is real…by all that I know, and all that is…" His eyes renewed their glowing. "What is this then?! He wants to be with you, admit it!"

In the shadows, Demona laughed. The spell had obviously made Goliath more volatile and jumped to the wrong conclusions a lot more readily than normal. Demona loved it.

Elisa shook her head and sighed. "It's not what it looks like, I swear." The tears were on the verge of spilling anew. She didn't want to spoil the surprise, but this was getting ridiculous. Goliath was never this jealous. Sure, this scene was very, VERY bad, but he always gave Elisa the benefit of the doubt. Flying off the handle like this was out of character…then again, he'd never found Elisa being fondled by another man…or gargoyle…

"Unbelievable. I cannot stand to look at you as you lie like this."

"Goliath, I didn't want to tell you this, but those are the vows I was going to recite to you. Those are traditional vows that the clans of old would recite. At least that's what Brook told me. Those are the exact vows he said at his mating ceremony with Tachia—"

"Spare me another of your lies." Goliath said bitterly, crumpling up the paper in his hands easily. Elisa watched the paper fall, followed it with her eyes as it hit the floor of the room. With it, her heart sank. She was speechless, and on the brink of tears once more. This was not her fault! How could this be happening? And what on earth had gotten into Brooklyn?! These questions had to remain unanswered—for now.

Silently, Goliath took another glance at Elisa before storming out of the room. Elisa felt the feeling disappear from her legs, and she just couldn't move from where she was. Instead, she collapsed to the ground, upon her knees. The tears spilled from her eyes slowly at first. It was pitiful, but somehow it made her feel better. Just a bit. She kneeled on the floor, her hands running through her hair every few minutes, trying to absorb what had just happened.

From the shadows, Demona prepared herself to console Goliath after this devastating scene. The spell worked brilliantly…now was her time to finish what it had started.

---

Outside, on the parapets of the castle, a stoic Goliath sat upon the ledge that he perched on during the day. What was going through his mind was something not even he understood. The wealth of feelings, emotions, thoughts, were nearly overwhelming. Why had Elisa done this to him? To their love? To say nothing of the betrayal that his second in command had carried out upon him…what was he to do now? How would he continue being a good leader when everything he had believed in suddenly disappeared in a matter of a few hours? A noise startled him out of his thoughts. What was that sound? A sniff, followed by another. Goliath rose from his ledge and followed the sound of sniffling to the other side of the parapet, around the corner of the staircase leading down to the rest of the castle. As he approached, his eyes blazed bright white. Brooklyn sat with his hands on his head. He was in the middle of sniffing again—he had been crying at his actions.

Goliath growled savagely and lunged at Brooklyn suddenly. Brooklyn looked up just in time to see Goliath's enraged eyes glowing and then felt a swift swipe at him, leaving three distinct claw marks along his chest, instantly bleeding. Brooklyn fell at the force of the swipe and had just enough strength to back away from Goliath.

"Stop! Goliath, please!" Brooklyn begged, slinking away from Goliath until his hands hit the wall. Brooklyn was trapped.

"Betrayer! You will pay with your life for betraying your clan!!"

"No! Goliath! Something is wrong here! I remember what I did, but I wasn't in my right mind! It was like I was sleepwalking! And you aren't in your right mind either!!"

"Shut up!" Goliath yelled. "It is time to end this farce! Prepare to meet your end!"

Demona watched in the shadows once more, with a perfect view of the goings on. She smiled. "Excellent…"

Goliath prepared to strike again.

----


	8. Chapter 8 Demona's Revenge Pt2

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_**

All comments are most definitely appreciated!

**_5—Demonas Revenge Pt 2_**

Tachia's heart burned with anger and pain as she ran out of the hallway and through the castle until she reached the parapets. She opened her wings and allowed the air to fill them. As they did, Tachia allowed the first tears to fall since she had seen her love mounted on the human.

"How could he betray our vows? Our love?" She asked the wind that carried her away from the castle, if only for a few minutes. It wasn't like Tachia to run away from her problems, but this situation called for rationality, not impulsive anger and harsh words. She had always been the most logical of her clan back in England. She needed to soar through the air to gain a bit of perspective on the matter before returning to confront Brooklyn and Elisa.

After a few minutes, Tachia's anger hadn't subsided, and she decided that she needed to talk female to female to Elisa. When Tachia saw Brooklyn on top of Elisa, her expression did show that she was upset (or perhaps was it just that she had been caught?!). Tachia's rational side took over, and she decided to return to the castle and discuss matters with whichever of the two she found first.

---

Elisa rose from the spot on the floor where she had collapsed after being yelled at by Goliath. She couldn't tell if it had been mere seconds or minutes or hours since he had left her alone in that room, but she decided that she needed to get out of the castle now. She looked around the room for Adam's diaper bag and found it lying at the foot of his crib. She walked over wearily to it, inspected its contents to ensure she would have all she needed, and set out to find Angela to retrieve her son. Luckily for Elisa, Angela was standing outside the door to her bedroom with Adam. Elisa nearly ran into her in her distracted effort to find her son. Angela stared blankly at Elisa, unsure of what to say or how to react.

"Um, thanks for watching him, Angela," Elisa began, knowing that this situation was just as confusing for Angela as it was for her, and wanted to spare her a bit of the oddness of it all. Angela smiled ever so slightly.

"He's great to watch, Elisa." Angela began quietly, her voice hesitant and demure. She looked at the diaper bag slung over Elisa's right shoulder. "Where are you going? You need to talk with Father. I've never seen him so upset." Angela said, nearly begging Elisa to stay with the tone she used. Elisa closed her eyes to try to shut out the memory of Goliath's anger directed upon her.

"You and me, both. But I can't reason with him right now. I'm amazed he didn't break something in my room before he left. Anyway, I'm just not sure this is the best place for Adam, or me for that matter…at least until Goliath calms down and I can explain things better…" Elisa sighed. "He won't ask, but if he does, you can tell him I'm at my parent's house." Elisa repositioned the diaper bag over her shoulder to take Adam in her arms. Angela handed him over. He squirmed a bit before settling into Elisa's arms. Elisa kissed his forehead and nodded at Angela before turning and walking towards the elevator.

"Elisa?" Angela called from behind her. Elisa turned her head slightly to hear what Angela wanted to tell her.

"I believe you. Father will, too." Elisa sighed in sadness before pressing the down button on the elevator.

---

Tachia returned to the castle, eager to speak with either Brooklyn or Elisa, to find it empty. She walked swiftly to Elisa's bedroom, hoping to catch her there, but was disappointed to find no one at all there. She walked into the empty bedroom, trying to remember the way the scene looked before she and the rest of the clan had walked in, but failed. She didn't want to see that again, actually. Sadly, she took a seat at the foot of Elisa's bed, smoothing the bedspread beside her and trying to forget what might have happened on that very bed between Elisa and Brooklyn. Tachia had never been a jealous gargoyle, and never had had any reason at all to suspect Brooklyn of infidelity, but this tainted her image of him.

A tear trickled down her cheek and landed on the floor beside a crumpled piece of lined paper. Against her better judgement, Tachia rose from her seat and kneeled beside the paper. Lifting the ball of paper, and trying to set it straight as she raised it to her face, she began reading the words written on the paper by Brooklyn's distinctive cursive writing.  
_"My darling one, I have denied my feelings for far too long. I want you to be mine for all eternity…"_Tachia gasped. She read on to make sure of what she was reading.

_"By the Dragon and the North Star, in front of our friends, our family, and our clan, I swear my love for you is real, by all that I know, and all that is, and I vow my undying love and companionship until the day I stop breathing. You are now my mate," _At this point, there were a set of brackets, inside of which laid the words, 'insert name here', and continued, _"for always."_

Tachia shook her head disbelievingly. Why was this in here? These were the vows she and Brooklyn exchanged more than six years earlier, when they were still in 1795. Why was this paper crumpled, and lying upon Elisa's floor? Tachia flattened the paper out in her palms and left the bedroom, determined to find Brooklyn now.

-  
**_Meanwhile, on the parapets..._**

Goliath seized up his prey. Brooklyn cowered closer and closer to the wall, preparing to attempt feebly at defending himself, though he had a feeling that he would die trying against Goliath. Brooklyn's agility and fighting skills were obviously no match to Goliath's massive size and sheer raw power, Brooklyn knew. He saw the distinct features of a madman in Goliath's face and position; he was possessed with rage, anger, and irrationality. Goliath's eyes glowed brightly, and Brooklyn prayed at that instant that something, someone would come and save him.

As Goliath prepared to strike, quick paced footsteps could be heard approaching the two fighters. A blue-ish coloured gargoyle stepped between the two, with arms raised in surrender.

"Stop, Goliath!" It was Demona who came between them. Brooklyn and Goliath both stopped in their tracks and stared at Demona. Even in their enraged states, they couldn't help but wonder what on earth Demona was doing there at that precise moment. Goliath shook his head.

"Stay out of this, Demona! You have no idea what is going on here!" Goliath roared. Demona sighed. I know more than you think, she thought with an internal smile.

"That doesn't matter. Surely whatever this argument is about is not as terrible as that." She commented calmly. Brooklyn then rose from his cowering position against the wall, his arms still in a stance of defence. Goliath's eyes still burned white as he spoke.

"It is. This traitor must be dealt with accordingly." He said in his most dangerous-sounding voice, causing Brooklyn to back away again. Demona noticed this and walked towards Goliath close enough that she reached out and touched his shoulder.

"You need to calm down, Goliath. This is not the way you would normally handle this sort of situation." She said quietly, trying to solicit calm in Goliath. It worked, because his eyes slowly returned to normal, and he looked directly at Demona, paying no attention to Brooklyn. At this, Brooklyn let out a sigh of relief.

"You are right." He said simply. Demona patted his shoulder, and motioned towards the sky. "Let us go for a glide to calm you down." Goliath nodded, opened his wings and jumped off the edge of the parapet with Demona.

Brooklyn watched this and was suddenly exponentially grateful of Demona's appearance so suddenly. His mind seemed to be clearing of its fogginess at that moment. A thought entered his mind: why had Demona been there? And why didn't I defend myself properly instead of cowering in a corner? I'm second in command, after all! Brooklyn put his hands to his head and sat over the edge of the parapets to gather his thoughts.

_**Meanwhile, in the skies above Manhattan…**_

"So tell me, Goliath, what brought this fight on? Brooklyn is not one of my favourites in the clan, that is no secret, but he is your second. What has happened?"

Goliath sighed. "He has been having a secret affair with Elisa. I walked into her bedroom to find them together…" he trailed off. Demona did her best to put on a surprised face and turned in mid air to face him.

"By the Dragon! I knew that human was treacherous. It took her a few years to reveal her true nature…Goliath, I know that, for whatever reason, that human meant a great deal to you. I am sorry for your pain." Demona said with a tone as close to sincerity as she could intimate. She watched his reaction with curiosity and desire. She longed to hold him in his arms and comfort her with all that she had, like she had done more than a thousand years ago, when she was the only female he desired. She wanted to stroke his hair, touch the special spot between his wings, and pleasure him in ways he had long forgotten she could. The look on her face made her want to comfort him all the more. His brow ridges drooped down ever so slightly, and his mouth was set in a frown. Demona knew that this was the face he wore when he had been hurt deeply. _I'm sorry, Goliath, _Demona thought. _This is for your own good and the good of our kind. _

"Thank you, Demona," Goliath finally replied after gliding for nearly five minutes in silence.

_Now is the time to plant the seed of friendship with him again, _Demona thought. _ I must depart now…any longer, and he'd be suspicious as to why I was in the area before Brooklyn was about to be murdered._

"Goliath, I would love to glide with you further, but I must be off. I have Nightstone business to deal with. I was gliding by the Eyrie when I heard that commotion. It is a good thing I stopped you when I did."  
"Yes, it was. Thank you for stopping me. That would not have been the gargoyle way."  
"So you'll banish him then?" Demona said, trying to contain her joy at the thought.  
"Yes, I must. He is a traitor, as is she." Goliath bowed his head is if in prayer, and then gazed at Demona again. "Thank you again, Demona." Goliath said sincerely. She nearly blushed when his eyes met hers.

"It was nothing, Goliath. Take care in your decisions to come, Goliath. May the Dragon protect you." She touched his arm briefly before waving goodbye and changing her direction to glide towards the Nightstone Unlimited building. Goliath watched until she was out of sight, and then began gliding towards the Eyrie.

Demona grinned to herself as she glided away from Goliath. Her plan to destroy Elisa and Brooklyn had worked to a tee. True, she had stopped Goliath from killing Brooklyn, but because of the actions of this night, he will probably be banished from the clan, alienated from his mate, and miserable for the rest of his days. Adultery was something gargoyle clans weren't particularly forgiving of. As for Elisa, she would be sent away from the clan as well as her bastard son, paving the way for Demona to swoop in and reclaim what was rightfully hers: Goliath.

---

As Goliath landed upon the parapet he slept upon nightly to find the entire clan gathered there, minus Tachia. Even Brooklyn was in the congregation, standing beside Angela. Each member of the clan wore concerned looks upon their faces, and watched Goliath carefully as he stepped towards them.

"What is going on here? And **WHY** is **HE** here?" Goliath pointed to Brooklyn. "You are a traitor and you **WILL** be banished from this clan for life!" Goliath demanded. Angela stepped forward.

"Stop, Father, something isn't right about this whole situation. I suspected some sort of magic spell has been cast, so I called Owen and Alexander to help us." She pointed to the entry way where the majordomo Owen held young Alexander Xanatos by the hand. It was way past Alexander's bedtime, but Fox had allowed the intrusion. She knew that Owen/Puck would take care of him, and she had been feeling a bit tired the last few weeks, and wanted to just sleep that night. Besides, Alex had been finicky that evening with regards to sleeping. It was as if the fey in him had told him that something had happened that would require his assistance in righting. Alex's eyes were wide and alert, ready to help in any way.

"I was told that my services would be needed in order to help." Owen said in his typical monotone. Goliath squinted in confusion.

"How would Puck help us?" He asked. Owen nodded, released Alexander's hand and turned into Puck effortlessly. He kneeled down to Alexander's level and put an arm around the toddler. He looked up at Goliath and the others.

"This is how, oh fearless leader," He turned to Alexander. "Ma boy, do your thing." Alexander's hands suddenly flew up over his head. The child's eyes fogged up and became white. Puck, too, waved his arms over his head, as if the magic that flowed through Alex's hands had to be interpreted through Puck. As quickly as this scene had begun, both Puck and Alex's arms flew down at their sides and their magic was done.

Puck's expression was that of mild shock, while Alexander didn't understand what he had sensed through his magic.

"My, my, Goliath. There is some fierce and passionate magic all around you!" He turned to look at Brooklyn, and sensed the magic strongly about him as well. "And you—the force is strong with this one, too," He quipped.

"You mean to tell us that a spell caused Brooklyn to jump on Elisa?!" Goliath roared.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you, big boy," Puck smiled. "Nothing in the last hour has been their doing, as far as Alex or I can see. Even your bursts of anger were part of this spell. It was designed to cause tears and pain, and I see it has done its job, unfortunately. Those are two things that are no fun at all." Puck concluded, shaking his fey head.  
"Who couldda done this, then?" Hudson asked curiously. Puck and Alex closed their eyes again, trying to see who had cast the spell…

His mind's eye saw a sorceress casting the spell that caused this situation to come about. The spell had her personal signature written all over it, but only a sorcerer or someone of the Third Race would be able to detect that. She must not have known this; otherwise her signature would not have been as readily detectable to one as untrained as Puck or Alexander. But, instead of revealing who it was that had cast this spell upon Brooklyn and Goliath, Puck put on his most thoughtful face, and said, "I can't see exactly who, or what, may have caused this spell, but I can tell you that it has all but faded. Its intended injury has been done. What that injury was, I cannot see, but something tells me that it is reversible." Goliath shook his head with what little strength he had left. The strength of his rage had burned so much energy from Goliath that he was rendered exhausted.

"No, that injury will burn within my very core for all eternity. Besides, they WERE having an affair! Why were they being so secretive recently??" Brooklyn looked up at Goliath and began to protest again, but before he could even get a word in, Tachia suddenly emerged from the hallway with a slightly wilted piece of paper in her talons. The expression she wore had lightened greatly since the entire clan had last seen her, running away from the scene that led them all to that moment.

Brooklyn watched her sadly, knowing that he had to make up for what he did, though he did it not of his own volition. The spell, they knew now, had caused him to desire Elisa and act upon it. Before that moment where he envisioned her hair blowing wildly in the wind, he had had no unwholesome thoughts about her at all, save of course when she was turned into a gargoyle on the night the clan was introduced to Puck, but all the others had thought exactly the same thoughts.

Tachia touched Goliath's arm softly, urging him to look at her. "Goliath, I read this," The mangled, and yet nearly flattened paper in her talons was the paper on which hers and Brooklyn's vows were written. In his rage, Goliath had mangled the paper, thrown it upon the floor, and stormed out of Elisa's bedroom.

"Yes," Goliath began bitterly. "The betrayer wrote this to Elisa, though she claims they are the vows she wished to say to me on our wedding night." He scoffed at the thought, but stopped when Tachia nodded.

"These are the exact vows Brooklyn and I exchanged six years ago."

Goliath wore a surprised expression. "Are you certain? That is what she told me as well." Tachia nodded, and then motioned for Eosine to come and read the vows. The pink skinned gargoyle walked a few steps towards them, and took the paper in her hands. She smiled briefly. "Oh yes, Goliath, those are the same vows all four of us exchanged. We were mated on the same night, as you know."

Goliath felt almost faint at this revelation. His anger, created by a magic spell, was directed towards Elisa, but she had been telling the truth.

"Oh no," Goliath shook his head.

---

**_Meanwhile, at Diane and Peter's house…_**

Elisa arrived at her parent's house outside of Manhattan just before 2am. Adam, thankfully, was sound asleep in his carrier, and Elisa was exhausted after all that had happened that night. Though Elisa had called them to ask if she could stay the night, Diane and Peter knew little about what had happened between her and Goliath. They were going to barrage her with questions as soon as she entered the house, but decided against it the second they saw her face. Her coffee coloured complexion was lined with streaks left behind by tears she had cried on the drive to their house. Diane immediately wrapped her arms around her daughter, while Peter took the baby carrier from her hands and brought it into their bedroom, where he'd be staying.

Silently, Diane escorted Elisa to her old bedroom and sat her down on her single bed.

"What happened, Elisa?"

Reluctantly, Elisa began. "Goliath thinks I cheated on him, and I thought it was best for me to get out of the castle to let him cool off and come to his senses. I would never do that, mom. I love him far too much to ever even consider that," Elisa said. Diane was shocked at the news, but decided that Elisa shouldn't be reminded of this any further tonight.

In her most motherly voice, Diane said, "Elisa, you and Goliath will work this out. For now, you need to get some rest. We will take care of Adam for you. Wash up and rest," She smoothed the hair that fell down Elisa's back, kissed Elisa's forehead and left the room, closing the door behind her.

After washing her face with cold water, she returned to the bedroom she had lived in most of her life until she became a policewoman. It was a small room, just big enough to fit a single sized bed, a dresser, and a desk in the far right corner. The walls were still covered with the pictures and posters she had up when she was a teenager. Pictures of big hair bands Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Duran Duran were pinned up on the walls. These posters had to be more than ten years old, but they weren't faded or ripped. The room was actually pretty immaculate. The paint on the walls wasn't chipped or in need of a new coat, there was no dust on the furniture, and everything looked as if someone still lived in this room. Elisa chalked this up to her mother's great attention to detail, and cleanliness. Though Elisa had been living on her own for more than 7 years, she could see that her mother's near paranoia for a clean house hadn't dissipated.

On the dresser, there were a few bottles of perfume, and a picture of Elisa's graduation from the Police Academy. Her father must have put the framed picture there, Elisa decided, since he was so very proud of his first born daughter following in his footsteps. She smiled briefly before letting out a weary yawn that caused her eyes to water. She was going to check on Adam one last time before calling it a night, but she could hear her parents cooing over him, and she was pretty sure that they were capable of caring for him tonight. After all, they had raised three children in their time, and had done a pretty damn good job of it, too. Elisa stretched a bit before pulling back the comforter on her old bed and snuggling into the folds of the sheets and instantly falling asleep.

---

**_Back at the Castle…_**

"Where did she go?" Goliath asked aloud upon entering Elisa's bedroom in the castle and seeing Adam's diaper bag gone. Angela stepped behind him, and answered quietly, "Her parent's house. She told me before she left." Goliath turned to face Angela.

"I was so harsh to her," He sighed. "I need to beg her forgiveness immediately, before more time passes." The remorse on Goliath's face was unmistakeable. The spell had completely left Goliath. Angela noted this, and put a comforting hand on his forearm.

"Father, there is hope. She wouldn't have told me where she was going if she didn't have the slightest hope of reconciliation." This seemed to help ease Goliath's pain a bit. He smiled briefly at his daughter. "She loves you, Father. You know that," Angela continued. "She will understand what caused your anger once you explain it to her." Goliath bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"I sincerely hope so. If I were to lose her, I would have nothing in this world,"

Angela smiled. "Yes, that's how I feel about Broadway," She waved her hand to the window that had been smashed by Brooklyn after being discovered on top of Elisa. "No go to her, Father!" Goliath nodded determinedly and walked towards the broken window, jumped out, and spread his wings as he fell. Once the wind filled his wings, he glided towards the Maza residence.

---

"Brooklyn"  
Brooklyn looked up to see his mate staring at him sweetly. "Tachia, I—"

She stopped him. "My mate, you do not need to apologise to me. The spell caused you to act in that manner, and you've been acting suspiciously lately because you were helping Elisa with the vows for the mating ceremony. I understand it all, my love. I understood the moment I read this," She handed him the formerly-crumpled, and now slightly straightened paper on which the vows were written. Brooklyn recognised the paper instantly and, taking it from Tachia's hand, frowned.

"This has caused me a lot of trouble tonight." He stated sadly. "But you're right. I was trying to help her, and it blew up in my face." Tachia took the paper back from him and let it drop to the ground. She then took his hands in hers.

"Brooklyn, this was not your fault. The spell is to blame. You did not act of your own accord. It was by the grace of God that Goliath did not kill you! I saw the look of Satan himself in his eyes this night, but now calm and remorse have taken over him." The light green skinned gargoyle rubbed his hands with her talons gently. "Before I knew the truth of the spell, I was crazy with grief and pain. To even think you would betray me was too much for me to bear," Brooklyn shook his head.

"Darling, I would never do that to you. Elisa is a dear friend, but that is it. No one else, for that matter, could compare to you, Tachia. Please believe me. You are everything to me," Tachia smiled, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"That I know. I love you, my mate." She embraced Brooklyn lovingly. Brooklyn buried his face in Tachia's long hair and inhaled deeply.  
"I love you too, Tachia," Brooklyn replied, wrapping her in his wings. He then had a wicked idea; one he was sure Tachia would approve of.  
"How about we go for a glide, darling?" His expression was devilish and naughty, causing Tachia to instantly know exactly what he was referring to. She nodded.  
"I would love to go for a glide, Brooklyn."

---

Elisa slept lightly that night, and only half an hour at a time, for she woke every time she managed to dream. She forced herself to awaken each time because the dreams tormented her. Some were of Tony Dracon re-emerging himself in her son, while others were of Goliath's devastatingly harsh tone with her and his banishment of her from the clan, something she was nearly certain would happen. The last dream she had was just of this: Goliath was yelling at her, and calling her a whore. When she finally managed to wake herself from this nightmare, she shot up in bed, deciding that sleeping was not something she wanted to do this night. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realised that the door to the bedroom had been left ajar. But that's strange, Elisa thought. I closed the door all the way when I went to bed. She leaned over and turned on the small lamp on her bedside table, rose from the bed and walked to the door. As she stepped closer to the door, she could hear the hushed voices of her parents speaking from downstairs in the living room. It seemed as though they had visitors. _At this hour??_

She grabbed a robe hanging behind the door, slipped it on and went to see who could possibly be calling. She took three steps out of the bedroom when she heard the most familiar voice in the world; Goliath's deep and gentle baritone was audible even from upstairs. She froze. What would she do? Instantly, she walked closer to the staircase leading to the lower level, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation. She walked cautiously to the staircase and began her descent. The final step, however, caused a loud creaking noise that was certainly audible below. She froze again. Damnit, she thought. I forgot about that step. Maybe they hadn't heard me, she hoped. Her hope was proven wrong instantly because the voices stopped their conversation and she could hear one of them getting up from the sofa and walking towards the staircase. When she saw him, she took a step back. It was Goliath.

"Elisa, how long have you been standing there?" He asked quietly, almost embarrassed that he didn't come and see her first.  
"Uh, just a few seconds...were you guys having a chat?" She asked, but then regretted saying it immediately. She frowned.  
"Yes, but you were the one I really needed to speak to." The look of remorse took over his expression. "Can we talk?" Elisa nodded and motioned to the upper level. She turned and began to walk to the bedroom, with Goliath following her silently. Once there, she sat upon her bed and waited for Goliath to say something. He stood before her, his look heartbreaking.

"Elisa, I know you did not betray me. It was sorcery that caused Brooklyn to act as he did. And I know that he had helped you write your vows for our wedding ceremony." He waited to see what her reaction to this news would be. There was none. He continued.

"Also, the spell caused my suspicions and anger to multiply and be directed upon you. For that, my love, I am so very sorry." Elisa bowed her head so as not to look at Goliath. He noticed this, and kneeled before her. He took her hands in his and lifted her chin to make her look at him. A single tear rolled down her cheek at that moment.

"Elisa, please know that I trust you and love you far beyond all others in this world. I am sorry for all that I have done to cause you pain this night. Please forgive me, my darling?" Elisa looked at him sadly. "Are you sure you trust me, Goliath? I can't live without trust, and you need to trust me. I never betrayed you. I was planning a surprise for you for our ceremony…"

"Yes, Elisa. I trust you entirely, my angel, and I am sorry that you had to reveal that surprise to me." He smiled at her, causing a smile to creep onto her face as well. "Come back with me to the castle, my love?"

Elisa nodded, and leaped into his arms to embrace him. "I was so worried about us, Goliath. I never want to see you that angry again!" She exclaimed as Goliath picked her up in his arms and rose. His lips ached to touch hers, so as soon as she had finished speaking, Goliath leaned forward and kissed his beloved so happily that Elisa didn't speak again until they had reached the castle.

The clan had been watching television in the Great Hall together when Goliath and Elisa came walking in together, hand in hand. Instantly, the clan jumped up, full of questions, but decided against asking them tonight. The couple needed to be alone together to put the ugliness of the evening behind them and prepare for their mating ceremony, a little over a month away.

---

David Xanatos had been informed of the commotion in the lives of the clan, and Owen had filled him in on what exactly was the cause: A magic spell.

"Interesting, Owen. Well, you don't know who cast it?" David asked curiously.

"It appears an over thousand year old sorceress is at it again, I'm afraid. I don't think it would be wise to advise the gargoyles or detective Maza of this fact, however," Owen replied. David placed a hand thoughtfully on his beard.

"Well, it's of no consequence, anyway. I saw Brooklyn and Tachia gliding off together half an hour ago, and I just saw Goliath returning to the castle carrying the detective in his arms. It seems things are back to normal." David glanced at his watch. 4:13am. "Perfect timing. Now, I'm off to bed and to check on Fox." Owen raised an eyebrow.

"Is she still not feeling well, sir?"

"She's been tired lately. Alex has been tiring her out. And she hasn't been eating properly. I'm starting to suspect she could be pregnant, but I'll wait until December to ask her." David didn't seem perturbed by this possibility. Owen had to ask.

"Sir, you aren't worried about it? That is, if she is pregnant?"

David smiled. "Not at all, Owen. In observing my son, I think I have finally mastered the secret to immortality, and that is through my children. Besides, Fox has been pining for a little girl. Who knows, Owen!" Owen nodded and watched as his employer and friend walked out of the office and to his wife. He then decided to pay a visit to someone…

---

Demona was preparing for her transformation from gargoyle to human in her bedroom, as the sun was ten minutes from rising. Just as she was internally congratulating herself on a job well done, Puck appeared in a cloud of smoke and light, wearing a devilish expression and hovering closely over Demona's head. Along with Puck always came trouble. She sneered at his presence, but stayed silent until he stated his business. Afterwards, Demona concluded, she would pummel him into the ground. She was in such a great mood, but Puck's company could always manage to turn her disposition sour…

"Someone's been awfully naughty tonight, eh, old pal?" Puck asked knowingly. Demona raised a fist and took a swing at Puck, at which he ducked and moved gracefully out of the path of Demona's rage-filled swing. Her knuckles connected swiftly with the bedroom wall Puck had been hovering in front of, sending shockwaves of pain through Demona's arm. She cursed wildly and began tending to her hand gingerly. Her eyes suddenly blazed bright red.

"What in blazes are you talking about, Puck??" She screamed, looking up from her bruised hand.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Demona. Don't tell me you've already forgotten the spell you cast upon the oddest of couples in Manhattan," Puck teased. He then narrowed his eyes upon Demona, casting an annoyed look towards her. "…although, I don't think it very polite to continue the lie for much longer. It insults us both." Demona cursed again.  
"How the devil did you find out??" She asked the fey angrily.

"I was sent for and SMELLED your signature magic all over Brooklyn and Goliath without even using what little magic I still am allowed to use! You are still an amateur, dear Demona!" He teased again, causing her eyes to renew their bright redness and a growl to escape her lips. Before she could say anything, Puck raised a hand, hovered a few more feet away from her, and began.

"Now, I haven't told the clan about who cast that spell"  
"Why not? What's in it for you, you hovering annoyance?!" Demona exploded.

"Well, for one, I figure that it would be a good idea to keep you in debt to me. You see, who knows when I may need a favour from the immortal Demona," He smiled slyly, motioning to Demona as he spoke. "And secondly, it appears that it doesn't really matter who cast the spell, because the damage seems to be corrected all on its own, without my intervention." Demona was confused.

"How so?" She asked with one eyebrow raised. Puck seemed pleased that she asked this very question.

"Detective Maza and Goliath have just reconciled, and Brooklyn and his mate, Tachia, have also reconciled. All is well in Castle Wyvern this night," Puck concluded with a mirthful grin. Demona slammed a fist in her hand.

"By the Dragon, how is that possible?!" Demona asked loudly, the frustration seeping through her tone of voice.

Completely ignoring her question, Puck continued his train of thought. "I don't know why you did it, Demona, although I do have a suspicion. Could it be that I was right on the night we first met? Could you still be carrying a torch for your ex-mate? I am certain that would have worked, too, had the spell not been cast so hastily!" Puck teased.

To this, Demona rose from her seat, again cursing under her breath, stomping her feet and screaming incoherently.  
Ignoring her again, Puck raised his hands above his head and said, "Demona, I BIND you to this promise! You will listen and obey!" Demona felt a shock run through her, and shook momentarily.

"Now when I call this favour in, you will NOT skimp out on fulfilling your obligation."

"What makes you—"

"I have good reason not to trust you, Demona. And who knows for whom this favour would have to benefit. I want to ensure your debt is repaid properly when the situation calls for it." With those final words, Puck disappeared, and the sun rose, causing Demona unmentionable pain as she transformed into Dominique Destine.

"Blast you, Puck!!! And blast HER!!"

-----  
(Stay Tuned for the Mating Ceremony! And I sincerely apologise for the delay in writing this one! School has been hectic lately! )


	9. Chapter 9 Long Awaited

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?**_

All comments are most definitely appreciated!

**AN: Ok, so this mating ceremony thing has been done about 59486 times before by different authors. I understand that, which is why I won't be focusing entirely on the ceremony itself, and more on the other plots surrounding that event. These will be important, as they are crucial to my future plots...**

_I apologise to those of you that were worried that I had stopped writing Fanfiction. I have just been soooooo uninspired lately...well, writer's block has passed, and now it's time to kick some fan fiction ASS!__ I'M BACK!! _

* * *

**_6--Long-Awaited_**

_**December 28, 1997, 1:51am, Manhattan**_

The night air was brisk and frigid that night. Steam rose from the sewer grates, making the walk seem like an overused scene from the movies. Carlos Sanchez, a tall, lean Hispanic immigrant to New York walked along the somewhat deserted street towards the Eyrie Building with his worn hands in his pockets and an anxious feeling in his bones. His eyes darted back and forth to make sure he had escaped all potentially watchful eyes, and his head constantly turned back to make sure he wasn't being followed. These precautions, he had been told, were necessary. His mission was clear. The doctor made it clear that this job was not to be botched up under any circumstances. If someone followed Carlos, his cover would be blown, not to mention his work Visa—rather, his lack of one—would be discovered and he would be sent on the next plane back to Mexico. This HAD to work…  
Carlos recalled the brief conversation that he had had with the doctor who simply called himself Severius. The condescending tone of voice, as well as the creepy accent had thrown Carlos off for a while. He considered not even taking the job, but in all honesty, he desperately needed the money Severius was offering and this was the type of job Carlos was accustomed to doing for a third of the price. He already knew how to break in, and knew where they stored what he sought. His main worry was getting through the guards, and making sure his nerve wasn't lost. Besides, all he had to do was break into the Eyrie Building, grab the virus and leave. Easy as pie. He just had to watch his timing…

**_Meanwhile, in Castle Wyvern…_**

Behind the closed door of her bedroom, Elisa stood in a disorganised room, the floor strewn with shirts and pairs of pants thrown there during Elisa's mad scramble to find something suitable to wear that day. She wasn't as busy cleaning up after herself as she should have been, however. Instead, she bent down to pick up an unfolded blouse from the ground, and her eyes landed upon the wedding dress which hung behind her closet door.

She had never been the typical girl with grandiose dreams of her wedding, but as that night approached, Elisa's elation grew, as did her anticipation of finally being able to call Goliath her husband—or was it mate? Nonetheless, she was ecstatic. She had tried on the dress a grand total of two times before deciding upon it, and had only purchased it two days earlier at an after-Christmas sale in a Manhattan boutique. Diane Maza had accompanied her to the boutique and approved of the dress greatly.

As Elisa looked at the dress as it hung under a thin sheath of protective plastic from the store, dropped the blouse in her hand and lifted the plastic to touch the material of the dress. It was very simple: thin spaghetti straps held up the straight line dress. Its length reached a little past Elisa's ankles, and the end of the skirt was embellished with a very small amount of white lace. The neckline was a simple sweetheart cut, and the edges were also decorated with the same lace as along the bottom of the skirt. Elisa had opted to go without a veil, but instead decided to make sure her dress had a slight train to it. The train was only about a foot in length, but Elisa was content. She had found the exact dress she wanted, not to mention the fact that she loved how she looked in it, too. She never had the chance to be overly feminine, what with her job, but she took this opportunity to look as pretty as possible.  
Elisa smiled. Only two more nights, Goliath.

Her thoughts were ended abruptly when there was a gentle rapping at her door.

"My love, may I come in?" Goliath asked from the opposite side of the door. Elisa jumped up, threw a large blanket over the hanging dress and picked up the blouse from the floor again in an attempt to hide her daydreaming.

"Uh, sure hun." She replied, still adjusting the blanket. Elisa wasn't superstitious, but she wanted to keep the appearance of the dress a surprise for Goliath. He opened the door and smiled at his beloved. "Good evening, Elisa. What were you doing? You look flustered." Elisa smiled. "I was just looking at something…my dress. I didn't want to ruin the surprise, but I guess lately I've been bad with surprises…" Goliath smiled knowingly and walked toward Elisa.  
"My apologies for intruding then, my love. I just wanted to see you tonight before I went on patrol with the rest of the clan." Elisa grinned. "No need to apologise, Goliath. I should be cleaning up anyways while Adam is still sleeping," She laughed, turning to face the dresser behind her. She opened the top drawer, folded the blouse haphazardly and laid it atop the other shirts in the drawer. The problem was that the drawer was slightly fuller than it should have been, so Elisa placed both hands on the shirts and pushed down with little effort. She shifted some of the shirts in the drawer, moving them over until her hand brushed up against something circular that she had tried to forget was there. She momentarily froze as she felt the ring in the drawer, then lifted it out and held it up.  
Goliath recognized the ring as the wedding band that was forced upon Elisa's finger more than a year ago by a man long since dead. He walked closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"That's an odd thing for me to find two days before our ceremony…" She commented, notably shaken by the discovery. Goliath shook his head.  
"This means nothing, my love"  
"I know, but my first marriage wasn't the greatest." Goliath sighed. "That is true, but this one will be the last one you ever have"  
"—And it'll be forever." Elisa finished Goliath's thought. She leaned towards Goliath's handsome face and stroked his cheek. Taking one last look at the wedding band, she shook her head. "I don't even know why I was holding onto this. I'll go to the pawn shop and sell it tomorrow." She smiled at Goliath and threw the ring back into the drawer.

"I'm glad you came in. I wanted to give you this." She pulled him down to her level and pressed her soft lips gently to his, as if practicing for their first kiss as a mated couple. Goliath happily accepted this gift and returned it with one of his own. He slipped his tongue into Elisa's waiting mouth and wrapped his arms around her waist and enfolded her in his wings. The passion in the kiss deepened until they were interrupted by the sounds of Adam waking from his slumber and crying hungrily. Elisa sighed, kissed Goliath's forehead, and waited for Goliath to let her tend to Adam. Reluctantly, he released her, but accompanied her to Adam's crib. She reached inside the crib and lifted her now four and a half month old son out. Her maternal instinct kicked in instantly, and she looked at Goliath.

"Ok, Goliath, I'll walk you out. I need to go to the kitchen anyway." She smiled sweetly and escorted Goliath out of her room, carrying the hungry infant in her arms.

-

**_The alleyways behind the Eyrie Building –shipping docks, 2:06am_**

_What did Severius say? Oh yea, wait until you see the shadows above the building leave._ Carlos pulled a set of high-tech binoculars that Severius had given him out of his pocket and spied through them to the top of the building. He watched the specific spot Severius told him to watch for only a few minutes before he counted seven dark forms gliding away from the building. Severius had told him to watch until at least 6 had gone. Now was the time to strike. Carlos put away the binoculars in his pocket and pulled out a single worn-looking card key. He walked over to the door closest to the shipping docks and passed the card through the sensor, triggering a happy-sounding beep, and what sounded like the internal locks in the door to dislodge.

Carefully, Carlos tried the door with success, and pushed it open just enough to let him through. He was careful to make sure the door closed quietly, slowing its closing until it was barely audible even to him. Breathing a small sigh of relief that the first major leg of his operation was over, Carlos scanned the dark warehouse room and made his way towards the elevator chute; it was exactly where Severius had told him it would be. At that moment, Carlos had to wonder just how Severius had all this knowledge and had even had the card key in his possession, but this wasn't the moment to be wondering about irrelevant issues, he scolded himself. He continued his creeping through the warehouse until he reached the elevator chute. Once there, he slid open the small door and let himself inside of the freight elevator. It dropped quickly to the lowest level of the Eyrie building with a loud bang. _SHIT_, Carlos thought. _My cover is blown if that was just the slightest bit loud_. Cringing, he opened the elevator door slowly until it was open just enough so that he could crawl out unscathed. Looking around the darkness cautiously, he rose to his feet and reached into his pocket for his tiny flashlight, yet another gadget that Severius had bestowed upon him for the purpose of not fucking up this mission.

From this room, Severius had told Carlos, find a door marked 'Danger: Volatile Chemicals' and use the card key again to gain entry. Gazing around the small dark room, Carlos saw a lot of unfamiliar technological contraptions, but had no idea what they were, nor did he care; he knew it was a matter of moments before the mission was complete, so all he cared about was getting out in one piece and collecting his reward.

He beamed his light on a door with the right signage, and grinned triumphantly. Soon it would be done, he thought. He brandished the card key again and allowed himself in. Severius had only said one thing about this room: the password is Immortality. Carlos stared straight ahead and saw only one item of importance: a see-through safe, which contained a cylindrical object within it. He crept towards it and immediately began searching for a keyboard to enter the word in, but found only a numerical keypad. Thinking briefly, he inputted the numbers corresponding with I-M-M-O-R-T-A-L-I-T-Y, 4666785489. The safe buzzed before the door opened. Carlos grabbed the cylinder and ran out of the room.

Once outside, Carlos looked the cylinder over. What could be so important in this container that Severius would risk David Xanatos' wrath, he wondered. Whatever it was, it was important, and deadly. He tucked the cylinder back under his jacket and walked quickly towards the predetermined meeting place, where he would turn over this precious cylinder to Severius and be given his money.

When Severius saw the cylinder, his eyes glowed with glee. He nearly threw the briefcase filled with $10,000 US dollars at Carlos, told him to beat it and remember that they had never met. Carlos ran away with the money silently.

Back at his lab, Anton Severius opened the cylinder most carefully, revealing the deadliest virus ever created. A blend of science and sorcery brought it into being, and it was Severius' hope that only science would be needed to exterminate the world of Gargoyles and make the virus harmless to humans. Demona had created this virus, and he planned on ridding the world of her by using her own virus against her. It would take some time—probably months of research and hard work—but his success had been long-awaited and he had recently acquired a lot of patience. When it came to destroying gargoyles, Severius was full of patience.

**_December 31, 1997, 10:07pm_**

The party was scheduled to begin at 10:30, and the mating ceremony/wedding would happen right after the clock struck midnight to mark the beginning of 1998. Elisa's parents, Beth, Derek, Maggie and the rest of the Labyrinth clan arrived with only 15 minutes or so to spare. The clan had been relieved of patrol duties this night, for obvious reasons, and Xanatos had told all his employees to go home uncharacteristically early. He felt like celebrating; not only was the leader of the gargoyle clan finally marrying—or mating—his soul mate, but he had a feeling that Fox's recent illness was due to a certain bun in the oven, though he hadn't yet confronted her about it. He wanted to wait until she was absolutely certain before spreading their joy around to the rest of the household.

Elisa and Goliath did not want the Great Hall to be decorated in an overly eccentric way—only simple flowers. Also, they needed enough space in the hall to seat the clans and guests comfortably in a circle, as they had done for Angela and Broadway's ceremony. As a special human touch, Xanatos ordered a floral arch to be constructed, much like the one Angela and Broadway used, only with different types of flowers lining it. This arch was placed in the middle of the circle of chairs, awaiting guests to this most unusual wedding ceremony. One thing that Elisa had insisted upon was that the Wedding March be played. She had been like every other little girl—she had dreamed of her wedding day, and walking down the 'aisle' to the Wedding March. Instead of the traditional song being played on an organ, Lexington downloaded a version of it from a music-sharing website and cued it up for Elisa's walk from the hallway to the Great Hall.

The countdown to midnight got the entire congregation up onto their feet, shouting happily and counting from ten to one. As the group of gargoyles and humans celebrated excitedly, Elisa was in her room, putting the final touches on her ensemble, as was Goliath in another room.

Only mere minutes after the start to 1998, Hudson advised all their friends and guests, all 25 or so, to be seated. Goliath took his place beside Hudson in the middle of the circle while Lexington then played the Wedding March, and suddenly all eyes were focused upon their dear friend, Elisa Maza. She walked demurely towards the centre of the circle and smiled sweetly at her mate. Goliath's expression was one of awe and complete love for Elisa as he admired her in the beautiful and understated white dress. They clasped hands and stared into each other's eyes as if for the first time. Hudson cleared his throat and began.

"Everyone, thank ye all fer being with us tonight. We are here to call attention upon love between two clan members, and to have this love recognized by the clan. This is a serious undertaking, as ye both understand, and cannae be taken lightly."

Goliath and Elisa smiled and nodded slightly.

"Please say the vows you have chosen fer this occasion…" Hudson requested. Elisa was the first to start. She smiled and looked up into the eyes of her hero, her warrior, her love.

"My darling one, I have denied my feelings for far too long. I want you to be mine for all eternity. By the Dragon and the North Star, in front of our friends, our family, and our clan, I swear my love for you is real, by all that I know, and all that is, and I vow my undying love and companionship until the day I stop breathing. You are now my mate, Goliath, for always." A series of sighs could be heard from the Mazas—they mostly came from Beth, who, in her 23 years of knowing Elisa, had never heard her sister being romantic before.

Goliath smiled and began.

"Elisa, I too have denied my feelings for too long. But I realise that our differences are what make us so perfect for one another. Our love is like no other, human or gargoyle. Ours is a love that cannot be explained or denied. It just is, and continues to grow with each night that the Dragon gives us. After a millennium of being frozen in stone, you made my heart start beating again. I will spend the rest of my life thanking you for that, and making me live again. This long-awaited night has finally come. I love you, my Elisa. Now and forever."

Elisa beamed happily. Hudson took this as his cue to end the ceremony in the traditional way. "As members of this clan, do any of ye object ta this union?"

Elisa half-expected Demona to burst in through a window brandishing an Uzi and shouting her usual tripe against mankind at this point. Elisa even looked around cautiously, just in case, but saw no one out of the usual, so she resumed her happy look and allowed Hudson to continue.

It appeared as if Brooklyn had had the same brief thought about Demona; his eyes darted from the happy couple to the large windows just a few feet away from them, and back again, expecting an ambush of the Steel Clan, or some other sort of magical spell to encroach upon Goliath and Elisa's happiness, but it was a fleeting moment, and his anxiety passed quickly. Besides, Demona hadn't been their enemy for months now. After all that she did to help Derek and the Labyrinth clan, she was becoming a friend to the clan. His thoughts quickly subsided and focused once again on the clan leader and his love finally committing themselves to one another. He chalked up his momentary anxiety to his recent doubts about her during the fiasco involving himself and Elisa. They had proven false, he told himself. _Demona was just there at the right moment to break up the fight between me and Goliath—nothing more_. He shook his head and returned his attention to the happy couple.

Outside that large window just a few feet away from where the ceremony was being held, Demona was crouched in the shadows, watching the ceremony through the window. She knew she was helpless…for now. She couldn't burst in and kill Maza outright, or there would be no chance of her regaining Goliath's heart, and she had run out of magic spells that could help her. The only course of action she had left was to wait until after they were mated, though she cringed at the idea of a mangy human mated with a noble gargoyle, and destroy Maza later on. Once Goliath was mourning over her death, Demona could swoop in and regain that which was taken from her a millennium earlier. For now, however, she couldn't help but be furious at what she was witnessing. Her eyes blazed bright red as she watched Hudson announce their mating…

"In that case, 'tis my pleasure t'announce that Goliath and Elisa are mated in the eyes'a the clan!"

As cheers echoed from the small group witnessing the ceremony, Elisa let out a sigh of relief; nothing had happened to compromise their mating ceremony/wedding and her dream had finally come true. Goliath, too, was relieved, but his joy surpassed any and all feelings of relief he possessed at that moment. They were finally of one heart, recognised by the entire clan. Elisa's smile could not be contained. Goliath reached for her and wrapped his arms and then his wings around his new mate amidst happy cheers from their family and clan around them.

"This really just happened, didn't it, Big Guy?" Elisa asked quietly, almost incredulously, as she was enveloped in her lovers' strong and protective wings. Goliath breathed in, let out a long breath and replied simply, "Yes, my love. Finally."

Outside, Demona's rage grew as she watched Goliath embrace Elisa in the same manner he used to embrace her all those years ago. Her resolve grew. I need to find a way to kill Maza, she thought as she began to get up from her sitting position, preparing to leave. _It could be so simple, but my simple plans had never actually worked. Maza just won't die by traditional means. I have to get creative_.

Back inside, the party was alive with happy chatter and activity. Owen had brought in a few dishes in buffet-style, which pleased Broadway greatly, and the champagne was flowing like it was water. Even Diane Maza and Peter Maza were enjoying themselves greatly, though still in the presence of David Xanatos. Watching their daughter in a simple, yet fitting wedding dress, mingling briefly with the guests, they knew that their daughter was finally content, and their grandson had a strong and protective father figure in his life with Goliath. Even Beth was happy for her big sister. Though she hadn't spent too much time with the gargoyles, she was quickly becoming used to them and knew that they were good-hearted beings. The idea of her brother-in-law being of another species definitely was unsettling, but she knew he was the best man for Elisa. Meanwhile, Derek and Maggie just held each other's hands during the entire ceremony, silently observing the proceedings and pondering about their own wedding someday.

While the happy couple mingled, Fox Xanatos walked over to them, congratulated them and caught her husband's eye while he was talking briefly to Owen. David walked briskly but purposefully towards his wife. Once beside her, he planted an affectionate kiss upon her cheek. She giggled and grabbed his hand, leading him to a more quiet place in the Great hall that they could talk.

"What is it, my dear?" David asked. Fox smiled.  
"I thought it was a good idea to start off the New Year with a bit of welcome news"  
David's mouth turned up in a happy grin. "Do tell, Fox." "David, I'm pregnant." She replied, holding his hand tightly and waiting for any sort of reaction before continuing. David, however, didn't give Fox a chance to continue; he embraced her happily, lifting her off of the ground momentarily.

"But I want to keep things quiet about it for now. I was thinking of going upstate until I start showing. Well, actually, I was hoping that Alexander and I would go, and you could visit us or even stay with us." "To get away from the city for a while? A change in scenery?" David asked, understanding that Fox was already feeling ill and knew that she would rather stay upstate than have the servants in the Eyrie wait on her hand and foot. "Exactly. What do you think, David?" Fox asked, anticipating his positive response. "That sounds beneficial for you and the baby. I know you'll take good care of Alexander and yourself up there." "Oh, and David, no one must know about this pregnancy yet. Not even Owen."  
An odd request, since Fox was never one to be superstitious or one to believe old wives' tales, but he nodded. "Ok, darling. Agreed. We'll arrange your trip in a few days."

Goliath and Elisa strode together through the doorway to the parapets to take their mating glide, hand in hand. Once outside, Elisa stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head quickly to the left. She had seen something out of the corner of her eye. Alarm rose in Goliath's face suddenly.

"What is it, Elisa?"

She turned back to him when her suspicions were proven wrong. "Oh, nothing. I guess I'm seeing things. I could have sworn I saw someone right there, by the window. But everyone is inside still…" She shook her head and squeezed Goliath's hand tightly. "Call me paranoid I guess…"

"It has been an eventful night, my love. You must be tired…" He smiled devilishly. "…or excited about something…" Elisa understood his comment and giggled playfully.  
"Hmmm…could be…" Goliath bent down instantly, picked Elisa up and jumped off the parapets with her securely in his arms. Her giggles could be heard for a few moments after they had disappeared into the night sky.

From the shadows, Demona sighed. She had almost been spotted by the whore herself. That would have seriously put a dent in her plans. Good thing she didn't have to explain her presence at the ceremony, since there really was no explanation except that she needed to see for herself the extent of Goliath's stupidity and lack of rationality. She loved him, but he was sometimes such a fool. _Not to worry_, she thought, _soon I'll be the only female he has eyes for._ She nodded to herself and opened her wings to glide towards her estate. She needed to use all her free time to concoct a plan to rid herself of Elisa Maza once and for all.

* * *

_**AN: Be prepared for a big jump in timeline very soon...like in the next two episodes...u have been warned!! Stay tuned!!**_


	10. Chapter 10 The Honeymoon

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney. As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?_ All comments are most definitely appreciated! 

I apologise to those of you that were worried that I had stopped writing Fanfiction. I have just been soooooo uninspired lately.. And, yes, this honeymoon has been done, re-done, and done over about a zillion times as well. That's why I'm going to concentrate mainly on the clan as they are two members short for a week.)

* * *

****

_**January 1, 1998 **_

"The last time we were on a plane was to see that lawyer about Adam's inheritance," Elisa commented as she buckled herself securely into her seat beside her new husband/mate, Goliath. He nodded. "Yes, I remember it well. You were so anxious then. But things seem to have worked out for the best," He added, reaching for his wife's hand. He looked to the side out of the window, seeing a light dusting of New Year's Day snow beginning to cover the ground.  
"Where are we going? And why were you so insistent to keep it secret?"  
A sly smile crept onto Elisa's face. "That's for me to know and you to find out…but not until after you wake up," She patted his hand. "For now, you'll have to trust me."  
"I do, my love, with all of my being," He said grandly in an attempt to make Elisa guilty and trick her into telling him where they were going. Patience was not one of Goliath's fortes. She shook her head; she knew his tricks. "It's not going to work, babe. You'll just have to wait," She flashed him a smile and kissed his hand in hers. "So, for now, sit back and enjoy the ride."  
Goliath looked out the window to his side again and watched as the horizon bore the distinct imprint of the sun preparing to rise. He smiled at Elisa, and said, "That is easy for you to say, Elisa. You aren't going to turn to stone while in a plane above the earth in thirty minutes."  
He really _would_ just have to trust her.

_Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Eyrie…_

Eosine stood amongst the rest of the clan holding Adam in her arms as they watched David's private jet soaring through the sky, carrying their clan leader and his mate to their honeymoon.

"May God be with them as they journey," The pink hued gargoyle prayed quietly looking up to the sky after the jet.  
"Sister, not to worry. They will be fine," Tachia assured confidently.  
"I know, Tachia, but those I still do not trust those mechanical flying contraptions. I know you have all been on one, but still…"  
Lexington placed a reassuring hand upon Eosine's shoulder. "They'll be fine," Just then, Adam began crying uncontrollably. Lexington laughed uncomfortably. "I'm not sure how fine we'll be, though. I for one haven't even learned how to change his diaper yet,"

"But you and Alex have spent so much time together. You mean you never changed his diaper before?" Broadway asked his rookery brother, smiling. Lexington shook his head. "Owen always took him away when it was time for that. Besides, we were in the past for 6 years, so it's like I have to remember how to care for a kid again…It's my night tomorrow to watch him while you go on patrol, and I'm a bit nervous,"

"Adam will be well taken care of, I assure you," a familiar monotone voice piped up behind the clan. "And it is time for him to go to bed I see. The nanny is waiting, and the sun is just about to rise," Owen nodded towards the horizon.

"That it is, lads and lasses," Hudson concurred, looking up to the heavens. "Better be off to our posts, everyone. Good night, little lad." He said to Adam, who was still in Eosine's arms. Adam smiled at Hudson but then continued his crying. Owen took Adam gently out of Eosine's arms and waited for the clan to say their goodnights before taking Adam to the nanny for the day.

On the parapets, Angela took her place beside Broadway and peered over at him reflectively.  
"It will be so wonderful to have our own hatchling someday, won't it, Broadway?" He looked shocked at the suggestion momentarily before replying.  
"Sure! But do you think we're ready to take that step?" Angela nodded.  
"We love each other, and the clan hasn't had a rookery since…well, since I was hatched on Avalon. Perhaps it's time." Broadway thought about that for a moment before making a noise of curiosity. _Maybe it is time…_

---

_**2**_

That morning, Fox Xanatos awoke with a grin planted upon her face. She was elated about her pregnancy, and was even happier that David shared in her happiness. Everything was as it should be in her life and that of her family. She rose from the bed and was about to make a routine morning trip to the washroom when she was greeted by her smiling husband, David.  
"Morning, my dear," He said brightly.  
"Good morning, David. How long have you been up?" Fox asked, leaning in and kissing his cheek moments after asking. David took her hands in his and replied,  
"About an hour. I was preparing for your impending trip,"  
Fox gasped. "David, it's New Year's Day. That could have waited for another day," she commented, though she had had the feeling he would have set things up as soon as physically possible. He was, after all, David Xanatos, one of the richest men in the world. Rich men didn't procrastinate.

"I know, but the sooner I had the preparations done, the sooner I could spend the entire day with you and Alex," He released her hands and wrapped his arms around Fox' waist and smiled. "Besides, Xanatos Enterprises is closed for the day so that was the only matter I needed to deal with," David finished, embracing his wife lovingly. Fox accepted that answer and allowed herself to be taken back to bed by her husband. Before she became entranced by David's kissing of her neck, she cleared her throat and asked, "So everything _is_ set up, isn't it?" David didn't even lift his head from her neck and replied, "yes, you will leave first thing tomorrow morning with Alexander. I will join you upstate once Goliath and Elisa return with the jet," David rose slightly to meet Fox's gaze. "Is that alright, Fox?"

She smiled. "Of course it is." She kissed his lips sweetly.  
"My dear, can I ask why you want to keep this pregnancy a secret?" David asked, a perplexed look surfacing upon his face.  
Fox shook her head. "I just have a bad feeling that telling people about this pregnancy now will put the baby at serious risk," David sat up when he heard her last comment. "My dear, it seemed pretty clear that we have nothing to fear from Oberon and Titania—"  
Fox raised a hand to silence his thought. "This has nothing to do with Mother—or Titania, or whatever the hell she wants to be called nowadays. It's not that at all. I just have a bad feeling. That's all." She let go of David and held onto herself, as if she had just received a cold shiver at the mention of something or someone endangering her unborn child. David recognised this and put an arm around her in comfort.  
"You know I would never allow anything to happen to you or our children. I swear it, Fox. I would use all the resources I have at my disposal and—" He said with resolve. Fox smiled and returned his embrace.  
"Thanks, David," She suddenly smiled devilishly. "I love it when you throw your clout around…" She murmured seductively.  
David nodded. "I know," He sighed dramatically," You're attracted to power. What can I say?" He laughed and resumed kissing Fox's neck, and all previous discussion about danger was forgotten.

Elisa yawned one last time as the pilot navigated the plane safely down to the ground. The lowering sensation caused as the plane descended to the ground made Elisa feel nauseous, but passed instantly once the plane touched the ground for good. She looked over at her stone statue of a husband and smiled at the look that was frozen with the rest of him as the sun rose that morning. The look was a cross between contentment and trust. It was the sort of look Elisa was becoming greatly accustomed to seeing upon Goliath's noble visage. Elisa couldn't help but be excited about her surprise to her mate. She peered over his form to the window beside him and saw that the sun was hiding behind thick layers of clouds. She had brought her husband to the country of his birth—Scotland.

---

That evening, when the clan awoke from their stone sleep, they were greeted by the ever stoic-looking Owen, holding Adam in his arms, with 2 year old Alexander close behind him, trying to get a closer look at Adam. As the clan waved their hellos and goodbyes to each other, Lexington walked over to Adam and took him from Owen.

"If you need any help, I will be in my office doing work for Mr. Xanatos, and the nanny will be preparing Master Alexander for his trip upstate with Mrs. Xanatos."  
"Oh? They're going on a trip?" Lexington asked curiously.  
Owen nodded. "Yes, but it appears that Mr. Xanatos will not be accompanying them just yet. Only young Alexander and Fox are going for the time being. Mr. Xanatos plans to join them once Goliath and the detective return from their honeymoon with his private jet," Lexington nodded his thanks to Owen and watched him and Alexander walking back into the castle. He then returned his gaze to Adam, who was inspecting Lexington's olive-coloured complexion using his hands. Lexington laughed and batted Adam's tiny hands away from his face playfully.  
"Stop that, Adam!" He said, causing the child to giggle as he tried to touch his face again, only to be swatted away gently. Beside Lexington, his mate Eosine appeared, smiling at this sight.  
"And you were worried about tonight," She mused. "You will be fine, Lex." She laughed and patted Adam on the head. She kissed Lexington's cheek and spread her fine wings to go on patrol with the rest of the clan. Lexington smiled at Eosine and watched her disappear into the night.  
"Thanks, Eo. I hope so!"

---

Goliath awoke that evening with a booming roar as he burst forth from his stone encasing. He looked around him and saw that he was still in the jet, but he was alone. He stepped towards the back of the jet.  
"Elisa?" He called out quietly.  
"Out here, Big Guy," She answered from just outside the plane. He opened the door to the jet gently and stepped outside to a moist and rocky terrain. The jet had landed on a cliff overseeing the Atlantic Ocean. Once outside of the jet, Goliath gasped as he recognised the way the air smelled.

"Scotland!" He cried. Elisa turned and beamed at him. He walked behind Elisa and wrapped his arms around her in gratitude.

"This is incredible! I am really in the land of my birth," He glanced down at the woman in his arms. "My love, this was a wonderful surprise!" He exclaimed.

Elisa shook her head happily. "This is only part of the surprise, Big Guy. The other part lies over there," Elisa pointed to a cliff in the distance. Goliath was puzzled, but nodded.  
"Very well, let us go there," He said, sweeping Elisa in his arms and opening his wings to allow the wind to carry them there. As the wind carried them to the far off cavern in the distance, Elisa smiled delightedly as she realised her surprise was actually going to work. She could tell Goliath had no idea about the second part of the surprise, let alone the first.  
"There, Big Guy," Elisa pointed down to a spot a few yards away while in Goliath's arms. He nodded and took them there. As they landed, Elisa grabbed Goliath's massive hand in hers and almost pulled him towards a cave.  
"Where are we going?" He asked, with a slight smile upon his majestic face.  
"Shhh!" Elisa insisted playfully. "Don't ask, just do. Keep coming…" She pulled him along towards a cave. Inside, Goliath could see the flickering light of a candle (or five) bouncing off the walls of the cave. Elisa suddenly stopped pulling and jumped up to cover Goliath's eyes with her small hands. Goliath laughed but did as he was told. They walked a few more feet when Elisa stopped walking altogether and let go of his hands and let him open his eyes. Before him was a table, similar to the one that he had set up atop Castle Wyvern when he originally planned on proposing to Elisa. There were two plates covered in tin foil, and a bottle of champagne. Deeper within the cave, there was an eight by eight foot area covered in blankets and pillows. Goliath looked at Elisa questioningly.

Her gaze met his and she smiled. "Dinner and dessert," She mused. Goliath caught on quickly. "I am hungry for both, Elisa," He reached down and scooped her up into his arms. "But I think dessert would be best served right now," He kissed his wife in his arms passionately, causing Elisa to moan with desire. "But Goliath, the food will get cold," she giggled as he planted small kisses on her neck.

"I would rather make sure that you are not cold, my love," Goliath smiled briefly before walking towards the blanketed area and setting down his wife gently on the blankets. Before Goliath could kiss Elisa again, she spoke.

"So, did you like my surprise?" Goliath nodded and brought his face within inches of hers. Just before beginning the passion again, he replied, "It was a wonderful surprise, and it still is…"

Goliath swooped down and embraced his wife, picking her up and walking her over to the blanketed area specifically created for the purpose of consummating the marriage. Elisa no longer felt hungry for food as Goliath's passion built for her. As he kissed her, her nether regions were set aflame with need for him. Goliath's mouth covered that of Elisa passionately as he gently eased her down to the makeshift bed—the thick covering of blankets and pillows that lay beneath them.

"My love," Goliath breathed lightly, sweeping loose hairs from Elisa's face, "You have made me happy beyond all measure. I wish to return the sentiment," With that, Goliath lowered his head to Elisa's delicate neck and began planting kiss after kiss upon it, soliciting sweet harmonious moans to spring from her. These only made Goliath kiss her faster, and work his way down towards her supple breasts, still burdened by her blouse. Still in his right mind, he slowly removed the blouse, a button at a time, and tossed it aside, and then undid her black laced bra.

Once the bra was removed, releasing her perfect coffee-coloured breasts and her instantly hardened nipples, Goliath's look was one of a starving man about to have the meal of his life. He caressed one breast while feasting upon the other with his tongue, causing Elisa to moan and arch her back ever so slightly with desire. Goliath's exploration of her breasts continued for what seemed like hours to Elisa. With each passing second, her need to have him inside of her increased and her juices prepared her for what would be a long lovemaking session. Elisa pulled Goliath's torso towards her, feeling for his buckle to remove his cumbersome loincloth and release what she most needed. The buckle was undone quickly, and the loincloth dropped. Elisa flung it over to join her blouse. Goliath smiled lustfully and helped her remove her jeans and black laced panties. Once the superfluous articles of clothing were no longer on them, Elisa and Goliath were free to surrender to their lust for each other. Goliath and Elisa locked their gaze for a moment before his eyes blazed white with desire.

He grabbed Elisa by the waist and flipped her over so that she was now on her hands and knees. He allowed his wings to flair for a second before draping them over his shoulders. He then got onto his knees and began kissing the small of her back, and then each side of her buttocks, and then reached to her passion. He licked his lips with anticipation before spreading her open and slowly placing one talon inside of her. Elisa sighed, and relaxed a bit more to allow his talon to press inside of her more deeply. He sensed this relaxation and pushed his talon in further, and then removed it, and put it back inside. Every thrust of his finger made Elisa want his manhood all the more. She even began to buck slightly to simulate the action of lovemaking. When Goliath noticed this, he decided to tease her just a bit more. He removed his talon from her opening, and instead, used his tongue upon the very same place, causing a louder moan to escape from Elisa's lips. Goliath's long tongue encircled her clitoris, and drove deeply inside of her. Though his tongue inside of her was absolutely incredible, it could not rival the sensation she knew was that of his hard shaft inside of her.

As Goliath traced the outer walls of her sex and then let his tongue slip inside of her again, Elisa cried out, "Please stop teasing me…I need you inside of me…" in such a pained tone that Goliath did as he was told almost immediately. Elisa felt his tongue leaving her opening, but within seconds, she felt his hard, erect shaft thrusting inside of her from behind. He began pounding inside of her faster and faster, his breathing becoming rougher and faster as well. Elisa found it hard to stay on her hands and knees, because each thrust from Goliath came so powerfully and so filled with lust. At length, Goliath pulled his manhood out and grabbed his wife again in his arms. He flipped her around to have her face him.

As their eyes met again, they exchanged a lust-filled look and devilish smiles. He then gently returned her to the blankets upon her back and mounted her again. This time, however, he took her ankles and rested them upon his shoulders so that his access to her sex was unrestrained. Also, this position allowed him to enter into her as deeply as possible without causing her pain. Goliath positioned himself and began thrusting his shaft deeply into her, watching her face for any hint that she was in pain. None came, however. The only looks upon her beautiful face were those of desire and insurmountable pleasure being attained. Her moans became louder and louder as he became closer to climaxing while within her. Elisa grabbed the pillows around her and dug her nails into them. She suddenly realised that she was extremely close to her own climax.

"Goliath, don't stop. I'm so close…"

Goliath didn't say a word. Instead, he replied by thrusting harder and faster. As Elisa began to scream out, signalling her orgasm, Goliath felt the rippling joy of his own and allowed his seed to burst out while still buried inside of his wife. Spent for the time being, but not allowing his shaft to escape the warmth of her opening, Goliath shifted his weight to his arms, and lowered himself to kiss Elisa, who was obviously exhausted by their first lovemaking session as husband and wife. She was, in fact, still panting to catch her breath.

"Elisa, I love you. That was…"

"Amazing. Ya, I know, Big Guy. You were awesome," Elisa replied. "Now, how do we top that?" She asked. Goliath kissed her sweetly upon her forehead.

"I can think of a few ways, but we'll wait a few minutes before I show them to you…"

After the newlyweds shared in wedded bliss together for the first time since being married, they felt hungry, so they dressed and enjoyed the cold chicken and potatoes that Elisa had brought for their meal. After the meal, they brought a few of the blankets they had lay upon in the cave out towards the edge of the cliff to watch the night sky transform into the early morning sky. Elisa was somewhat quiet, and Goliath took notice instantly.

"Elisa, what are you thinking of?"  
"I need to ask you your opinion on something…"  
"Anything, my love. You need only ask,"  
"I was thinking of returning to work earlier than scheduled. I miss being a cop."  
"I know that your profession is a part of yourself that you love. How early would you be returning?"  
"In a month or so. At least, that's what I'm thinking of doing…if it's feasible…"  
"I think we can work something out, my love. If you feel strongly about returning to work, the clan will support your decision however we can."  
"Well, for one thing, I would have to work dayshift. That way, I can spend my nights with you and Adam. I would hate to return home to find you in stone sleep." Goliath smiled. "Yes, that would be torture for me, too."  
"But another problem remains—well, not so much a problem, more like an issue. What about Adam? I mean, during the day? I don't know if I would be comfortable handing him off to just anyone…"  
Goliath nodded in understanding. "I agree. I do not know how well you know the Xanatos' nanny, but perhaps you might consider allowing Adam to stay with her. Xanatos has actually introduced me to her. She has been sworn to secrecy, but seems genuine and honest."  
Elisa tilted her head. "Well, babe, I trust your judgement. So, if you think she's trustworthy, and capable of leaving our son with her, when we get back, I'll talk to her." Elisa reached for Goliath and wrapped her arms around his thick waist. Goliath chuckled, causing Elisa's gaze to meet his.  
"What?" She asked coyly.

"My love, you referred to Adam as _our_ son,"  
"Well, you are the only father he's known, and I'd like to think that he is ours. Besides, I know it's impossible to have our own children so this way, it makes me feel like it isn't all that impossible," Elisa replied almost sadly at the accepted knowledge that she would never bear Goliath's children. She thought she had come to grips with that fact, but every time she mentioned it, she couldn't help but be saddened by it. Goliath instantly recognised this look from Elisa and stroked her soft cheek.  
"My love, I am sorry that we cannot have our own hatchlings—or children. I wish that we could, but I am just thankful that Adam came along, for he is a wondrous blessing upon our lives and the clans' as well," Elisa nodded, snapping out of her temporary depression.  
"I know. I thank God every day that I decided to continue the pregnancy, regardless of the way he was conceived. He has brought so much joy to our lives. I just wish that I could bring that kind of joy into your life as Adam has brought into mine," Elisa sighed.  
"You already do, my love," Goliath replied sweetly, overseeing the Scottish evening sky in awe, and embracing his wife a little tighter. "You already do."

As the clan awoke to another winter night, they were greeted by Owen holding a smiling Adam. Brooklyn and Lexington were the first to greet the duo. "Hey there little buddy!" Lexington said, motioning to Adam to come to him. When Adam saw Lexington, his eyes lit up and he opened and closed his hands widely in excitement. Over the last week, the two became fast friends. Lexington had learned how to change a diaper and feed a baby all over again, and Adam learned to enjoy being carried by Lexington and playing peek a boo with him. As Lexington held onto the child, Brooklyn and Tachia appeared from their parapet of the castle.  
"Hey Adam, you excited your mom's coming home tonight? I know we are," He added. Tachia smiled at her mate.

"Yes, we are. Darling, you are a fantastic second in command, but I'm glad you aren't the clan's leader," She laughed. Brooklyn looked up and frowned mockingly. "Hey, I resent that! It's lucky I happen to adore you, Tac," He teased.

Eosine, Angela and Broadway came right afterwards towards them.

"So when are they getting back?" Broadway asked. "The pilot advised me that the flight is on time and they should be arriving momentarily." Owen said stoically. No sooner had he said this than a small jet appeared in the sky above the castle. It began descending and landed on a strip of land a few floors below them on another level of the Eyrie Building. Owen made sure that the pilot had gotten off the plane and walked inside the castle before allowing the clan to greet their friends near the plane. As soon as he nodded his approval, the whole clan rushed down to see Goliath and Elisa. Brooklyn even took hold of his godson from Lexington who, because of this odd wingspan, had no free hands when he glided.

Elisa and Goliath were stepping off the plane with one small bag each when they were bombarded by the clan and what seemed like a hundred happy faces. Elisa immediately made a bee-line towards her baby boy. Adam smiled adorably when he saw his mother.

"My baby! Mommy missed you so much, Adam!" She said between kisses upon his soft cheek. As Elisa hugged her son, Goliath greeted his clan in the usual fashion, but was asked too many questions to answer all at the same time.

"Where did Elisa take you?"  
"Was the weather nice?"  
"How was flying in that contraption _really_?"  
"How does it feel to finally be mated?"

Goliath raised a hand and smiled to his clan.

"Friends, we will answer all of your questions in due time. First, however, I believe Elisa and I need our rest after flying this evening. I now know what the term 'jet lagged' means!"

The clan laughed, and allowed Elisa and Goliath to get the much needed rest they deserved. They knew that all their questions would indeed be answered, but that could wait for tomorrow. They had their clan leader and their good friend back with them, and that was all they were concerned about.

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End file.
